YuGiOh! Delta: Seaside Hunting
by Rebster6
Summary: In this story, Matt's bonds with his four new friends continue to grow, but his past experiences are starting to cause issues. Also documenting the first encounter with an enemy Number holder, who possesses Number 36: Mermonstrosity, and a host of other WATER-y things. Enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

Matt awoke from a dream that he immediately forgot.

Reluctantly, he stirred himself into life and got out of bed. The room was new and unfamiliar to him, and it took him a few sleepy seconds to remember where he was. But once he did, the memories came flooding back. The ferocious Number, the Professor, and the four other teenagers he was now sharing an apartment with.

It had taken surprisingly little arguing and persuading to convince Matt's parents to allow him to move out. His parents rarely saw him anyway, and weren't that fussed. If anything, they were supportive of his supposedly sudden urge to live independently. More than anything, that made him quite depressed.

He thought about when the six of them had gone to visit Leah's parents, and how her mother and father had fought tooth and nail to stop her: pulled out every horror story, warning and plea they had to persuade her not to go. But she had been insistent, and had slowly and gently changed their minds with the help of Dan, Katie, and Professor Usur.

While they were arguing, he had questioned James about Leah's parents' behaviour, and his response had simply been, _"Well, that's just what parents do. Why? Are yours not like that?"_ He shook his head and explained that his parents were not around so much, and that they rarely took an interest in what he did, and James had replied, _"Man, looks like you're a lucky one. Overprotective parents are a pain sometimes."_

Matt wasn't so sure about that.

He had no doubt that having parents as overprotective as Leah's could be a nuisance at times, but he didn't consider himself lucky with his parents, not for one second. Quite the opposite, he wished with all his heart that his parents had shown a little more anguish, a little more protectiveness, when he told them he was leaving. The fact that they hadn't made him feel kind of unwanted, and very sad.

After a few seconds of brooding, he glanced over at his bedside table, seeing his Deck lying there innocently enough, but for the card on top.

"**Number 51: Dark Excalibur**," he muttered.

That card had caused more pain and anguish than he liked to think about. And not just to him, but to everyone who had happened to be near him at the time. He had been sick and tired of the hero-worship of the accursed crowd that followed all of his duels, and the distinct lack of friendship among them, and that card had responded to that. It had warped his mind and made him believe it was a good idea to destroy everything and hurt many innocent people to scare them away from him. And it had worked… somewhat: there would be no more hero-worship, as all the people who ever admired him would now hate him for what he had done. Fate did have a cruel sense of humour.

And it was hard for Matt to believe that this single piece of card – sitting on top of pile of almost-identical pieces of card – could cause all that. Tentatively, he reached out and placed his hand on top of the card. Nothing. No red glowing number etched itself onto the back of his hand. No invasive presence started ordering him to destroy everything. It was just an ordinary card, and would stay that way as long as he was wearing that metal band given to him by Professor Usur.

Still yawning, he put on a dressing gown and exited his room, leaving his Deck where it was. He stopped outside his door and surveyed his new world with mixed emotions.

He had stepped into the large communal area, which had a dining table, living room, and kitchen separated from the rest of the room by a countertop. There were three large leather sofas in front of a massive TV, and one of the walls was almost entirely glass, which allowed them to pull spare chairs up and overlook the entire city. Everything looked and smelled brand new. Along another of the walls were seven doors – five bedrooms and two bathrooms – one of which he'd just come out of. There was male singing coming from one of the bathrooms, and steam drifting from under the door.

Turning back, he spotted Katie fixing breakfast, with Dan attempting to help her and Leah laughing her head off at his feeble efforts.

"Dan, no!" Katie shouted. "For the last time, oil the pan before you put the bacon in."

"Sorry," he said sheepishly, as Katie snatched the pan off the cooker. "I've always bought my food, I've never learnt how to cook."

"You don't say," said Leah, who was sitting at the counter, still laughing at the pair of them and making absolutely no move to help either of them. "The only time you ever tried to cook anything was rice, and you almost blew up the microwave."

"Hey, those instructions weren't clear!" Dan replied, now attempting to crack eggs with a spatula. "When it said 'tear the top slightly', it did not specify how much."

Leah laughed again. "When it said 'tear the top slightly', it assumes that most people will understand that 'slightly' means more than zero-point-six nanometres."

Katie cracked up upon hearing this. "Oh, you should've seen it the first time I taught James how to make food. He was trying to make a smoothie, so he put everything in the blender, pushed the on button, it didn't work. So he fiddled with it for about a minute before realising that it wasn't switched on at the wall."

"Well, in all fairness, that's an easy mistake to make," said Dan, now using the same eggy spatula to mix the eggs, shell and all. "I mean, I've done it enough times. Everyone has." Leah nodded in agreement.

"Obviously," replied Katie, "but the idiot switched it on at the wall without bothering to hold the lid on." There was a slight pause, then everyone burst out laughing. "It's not funny! My kitchen was coated in the stuff. Well, at least some good came out of it... James did learn how to clean that day. Everyone laughed again. It was then that they became aware of Matt standing there watching them. "Ah, good morning Matt," Katie called cheerfully. "Come and help us prepare breakfast."

Matt grinned. "Actually, I think I prefer Leah's method of helping. You know, the whole sitting around, doing nothing, laughing at other people's misfortune thing..."

"Good call," said Dan, "I only got roped in here because I was out of the shower first... James, the luck so-and-so gets to escape this torture, while I'm stuck here trying to mix eggs that won't mix!"

He stirred with the spatula even faster. Katie grabbed his arm. "Maybe that's because you're using the wrong tool for the job." She laughed. "Try using a whisk."

Dan looked utterly perplexed. "What on earth is a whisk?"

Everyone laughed at his complete inaptitude and confusion, even Matt. It was true, happy laughter, and he was so shocked that he stopped abruptly. The others took no notice, and continued fixing breakfast. As Matt was deciding whether to try and help cook or run back into his room, a door opened behind him. Looking round, he saw James step out of a steamy bathroom, with a towel around his waist.

"Hey ya, people," he said cheerily. "Is my breakfast ready yet?"

"No," replied Dan, "but it's good timing: you can mix these eggs while I make the baked beans and try and figure out the eternal mystery of the universe that is the identity of a whisk..."

"No can do," said James, grinning as he flopped down onto one of the sofas with his back to them. "I'm far too exhausted from my shower. I need some food, stat."

Matt noticed movement behind the counter. Katie had grabbed a pint glass and was filling it with water, while Dan was at the freezer, collecting ice cubes as quietly as he could. Leah was motioning for them to hurry up, while at the same keeping James talking.

"You know," she said, "we all have to pull our own weight here. Sooner or later you're going to have to learn how to cook something."

"I can cook things." James replied, now flicking through the morning newspaper. "Didn't Katie ever tell you about the time I cooked my Geography homework with a magnifying glass?"

Leah laughed. "That's not cooking, that's arson!"

By this point, Dan had deposited the ice cubes into the glass of water, and Katie was now tiptoeing up behind the sofa where James sat. His attention was divided between Leah and the newspaper, so he didn't notice her. The moment she was close enough, Katie leapt forwards and emptied the icy water all over James.

James leapt to his feet, spluttering and gasping. Leah and Dan were killing themselves laughing. The sight of James dancing up and down trying to dislodge the ice cubes from inside his towel tickled Matt, and he found himself laughing again.

Finally calming down, James turned to Katie, who was giggling so hard at her boyfriend's predicament she was struggling to breath.

"Oh ha ha, highly amusing, simply hilarious," he said, the icy water still dripping down his body. "Now give me a hug."

Katie stopped laughing abruptly and, not wanting an icy hug, backed away as James, still dripping cold water, advanced towards her. "No darling, that's alright... no need for that-"

She turned and sprinted away from James, and he gave chase. Unfortunately, there weren't a lot of places to run to, so it ended up with Katie running in circles around the apartment, jumping over furniture, trying to escape from the ever pursuing James, who was shouting "Awe, c'mon baby, where's the love?" Leah had slipped off her stool, and was now convulsing on the ground with laughter. Dan was likewise incapacitated, clinging onto the counter for support. Matt enjoyed a few more seconds of laughter, before he was knocked flying my Katie, and ended up sprawled on the floor.

"Sorry Matt," Katie shouted, before getting cornered by James. As he wrapped his arms around her, she squealed in protest, unable to escape.

As Matt picked himself up, James let go. Katie now looked a real state, with wet patches all the way down her shirt. Matt didn't want to think about how cold it was. Despite everything, Katie was laughing.

"You total jerk!" she giggled. "I'll get you back for this!" Then she gave James a proper hug, already being too wet and cold to care.

*SEVERAL MINUTES AND ONE MINOR FIRE LATER*

The five of them were now sat down on the, Katie and James sitting together on one, Leah and Dan on another, and Matt by himself. They picked at their questionable breakfast and discussed their new cards – the Numbers.

"Well I don't know about you lot," said Katie matter-of-factly, "but my Deck doesn't actually need to be modified to use my Number."

"Same here," replied Dan, picking egg shell out of his teeth for the twenty-fifth time. "Mine fits pretty much perfectly. Honestly, it's like they were designed to fit out Decks."

"Speak for yourself," Leah cut in. "My Deck is mostly made out of Spirits. It's a very anti-Special Summon Deck. What exactly am I supposed to do with an Xyz Monster?"

"Well, maybe it has an effect that will help," James suggested. "What's its effect?"

Leah pulled the card out of her jeans pocket and began to read. "This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a Number monster. Neither player can Special Summon monsters. During either player's turn: You can detach..." she trailed off as the penny dropped.

"A card that stops Special Summoning?" Dan said, slightly amused. "Well, that sounds familiar."

"You're right," Leah said, a broad smile spreading across her face. "It's exactly the sort of card I need."

"Well don't stop there," James said. "What about the rest of the effect?"

Leah let out a tiny gasp and carried on reading. "During either player's turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; negate this card's effects until the End Phase." She looked up, puzzled. "I don't get it. What's that good for?"

Dan turned to her. "Don't you see? It's a card with an effect that stops Special Summons, and you have the option to 'switch off' that effect for a turn."

Leah's eyes widened.

"Yep," said James, stealing a piece of bacon from Katie's plate, and earning a punch on the arm for his trouble. "So you can use an Overlay Unit to turn off the effect for a turn while you do any Special Summoning you need to do, then the effect will turn back on again for the next turn."

"This is fantastic!" Leah said gleefully, bouncing on the sofa. "It's absolutely perfect. I want to test it out right now! Someone come with me to test it."

"Now now," Katie scolded her like a fussy mum, "eat your breakfast first. That card will still be there in a few minutes." Leah quickly stuffed a piece of toast into her mouth, and promptly started choking on it. The others laughed as Dan slapped her on the back to try and dislodge it.

Matt, who had barely touched his food, stared at the four people with awe. They were so accepting, so quick to bond with each other and everyone around them, Matt couldn't help but warm to them. So he smiled as Dan managed to dislodge the chewed-up toast from Leah's throat, and laughed with the others when she immediately spat it onto Dan's plate, and began feeling emotions that he had never felt before.

He was finally starting to feel at home.

* * *

**Fun Fact #1: The majority of the funny situations written in this chapter are real-life events that have actually happened to one or more of us. Yes, Dan did almost blow up a microwave with a packet of rice. Yes, James did once redecorate my kitchen with half-blended fruit. Yes, Leah did once choke on a piece of toast and immediately spit it onto the nearest plate that wasn't hers (which happened to be Dan's). Yes, I did once drench James with icy water (although it was from a bucket rather than a glass) and get an icy hug immediately afterwards, the git.**

**Fun Fact #2: For funny situations like these, we will always attempt to use real-life events from our own lives, because our lives are... eventful.**

**Fun Fact #3: Yes, I know what a whisk is. It's that thing roadworkers use to mix cement...  
**


	2. Chapter 2

After the… eventful breakfast, the five kids washed up the plates and cutlery. Afterwards, Katie went to get changed, James went to get dressed, and the other three went to get their Decks. Matt stared at his Deck for a long time before picking it up and slipping it into his Deck holder. The five of them met at the front door to the apartment, with Matt being the last to arrive.

"Chop chop, Matt," Katie called as he exited his room.

"Sorry," he said, walking briskly over to join them. "Couldn't find my Deck."

She nodded, then reached behind her and pushed the door open, and they all stepped out into the hallway. Katie shut the door, but didn't bother to lock it. There were many doors along the hallway, all of which were apartments identical to their own, but they knew for a fact that all of them were empty.

The long hallway led to a set of metal double doors, which required a swipe card to open. By unspoken agreement – as well as the fact that only he had remembered to bring it – James pulled out his swipe card, passed it through the scanner, and led the group into the room.

The room in question was a massive hall with a raised platform in the centre, and sloped seating around the sides – an indoor duel stadium.

Leah immediately ran toward the platform and called, "I put dibs on going first!" She then turned round to face the others. "So, who's going to be my opponent?" she asked, looking meaningfully at Dan.

Dan laughed and shook his head. "No thanks, I'm still recovering from our last duel."

"Chicken," she grinned, before turning to the others. "Anyone else?"

To Matt, there was something striking about this happy, confident girl, and about the group of people around him that were already so accepting of him, that made him want to prove himself to them.

He stepped forward and said, "Alright then, I'll do it."

Leah smiled at him. "Awesome. Come on then, let's get started." She turned and leapt up onto the platform, and assumed her place at one end. Matt chose to climb the stairs, and took his place opposite her. Dan, James and Katie all sat down in the front row to watch the upcoming duel.

"Duel disk, set!" Both duelists triggered the duel disks on their arms; Leah's green disk on her right arm, Matt's new black disk on his left. Matt noticed the unusual location of Leah's disk, and before setting their D-Gazers, he questioned her about it.

"It's because I'm left handed," she replied. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason," Matt said. "Just wondered."

"D-Gazer, set!" All five D-Gazers flashed on, displaying info about the two duelists.

_"AR Vision – link established"_ Around them, the augmented reality rose, tinting everything with a cybernetic green.

"Ready?" Leah called.

"Always," replied Matt, already completely focussed in.

"DUEL!"

**Matt LP:** 4000

**Leah LP:** 4000

"I know you're about to say "ladies first", but there's no need to be courteous against me." Leah said. "Go ahead, you can go first."

Dan grinned, which James noticed. "Hey, you know something we don't?"

"Plenty of things," Dan replied cheekily. "But in this case, that line that you just heard Leah say, it's one of her favourites. It serves two purposes: it unsettles the opponent, and it allows her to go second, which benefits her Deck a lot." James nodded in understanding.

In fact, Leah's opening line had little effect on Matt, as he was already totally zoned in. He merely nodded, and began. "Fine. My turn, draw." With almost no hesitation, he made his first play. "I Summon Dark Blade the Captain of the Evil World!" The very Dark Blade-esque monster appeared, its steed whinnying.

Dark Blade the Captain of the Evil World: Warrior-Type/DARK/Level 4/ATK 1800/DEF 1500

"Then I set one card. Your move." His face-down appeared behind his medieval monster.

Leah was put out by Matt's lack of reaction to her opening line, but quickly regained her composure. "My turn, draw." There was a pause as she considered her move. "I Summon **Borealis Tatami**!" A shining rainbow-hued angel materialised, wrapped in a white garment.

**Borealis Tatami: Fairy-Type/Spirit/WATER/Level 4/ATK 1700/DEF 1100**

"And because of its effect, when it's Normal Summoned, I can add any Borealis monster from my Deck to my hand." Her duel disk extracted a single card, which she revealed to Matt. "I choose another **Borealis Tatami**. Next I play a Field Spell." Her duel disk opened a hidden slot to place her card. "**Spiritual Haven of the Borealis**!" Her duel disk let out a piercing flash of light, which faded out to reveal both duelists now standing on the northern lights, amid the odd flash of light that appeared, and then disappeared just as quickly.

"Wow," Katie breathed, impressed by the sight. "This is the same Field Spell she used against you, isn't it Dan?" He nodded, his eyes not leaving the duel.

"As long as this card is in play," Leah was saying, "I can Normal Summon twice per turn, but I can't Normal Summon anything that isn't a Spirit monster. So I think I'll use that effect to Summon my second Borealis Tatami." A second angel, identical to the first, appeared.

**Borealis Tatami: Fairy-Type/Spirit/WATER/Level 4/ATK 1700/DEF 1100**

"And of course, her effect lets me search for another Borealis monster. This time I'll take **Borealis Nanbu**." Her duel disk spat out the card, which she added to her hand. "Oh, and one more thing, Spiritual Haven gives all Spirit monsters I control an extra 100 ATK and DEF for each Spirit monster I control. Since I control two, they both gain 200 points.

**Borealis Tatami: ATK 1700 **→** 1900/DEF 1100 **→** 1300**

**Borealis Tatami: ATK 1700 **→** 1900/DEF 1100 **→** 1300**

Matt frowned. _'Well that's interesting. She was able to get out two monsters that can overpower mine, while still maintaining hand advantage. No doubt… she's good.'_

"**Borealis Tatami** number one, attack his monster." Tatami unleashed a piercing multi-coloured ray, which sliced its way across the Dark Blade-imposter, destroying it.

**Matt LP:** 4000 → 3900

"Then the second **Borealis Tatami** attacks you directly." An identical ray carved its way across Matt's chest, causing him to stagger back.

**Matt LP:** 3900 → 2000

"I'll set two cards, and finally I'll activate the Spell Card, **Bond of the Borealis**. By revealing a WATER Spirit monster in my hand, all Borealis monsters on my field at the time of its activation won't return to my hand during any End Phase." Leah showed **Borealis Nanbu** to Matt, and as she did so, the Spell coated both Tatamis in a shimmering rainbow shroud. Leah checked that her two face-downs had appeared, then nodded in approval. "Perfect. I end my turn."

Matt, still a little stunned from the attacks, stepped back into position and began his move. "My turn, draw." He wasted no time using the card he's just drawn. "I activate the effect of **Blader of Eoseuleum – Tsubasa **in my hand. If all the monsters in play are on your field, I can banish one Spell Card from your Graveyard to Special Summon this card from my hand." The Spell Card, **Bond of the Borealis**, flew out of Leah's Graveyard and disappeared. "Go, **Blader of Eoseuleum – Tsubasa**!" The monster that appeared wore basic black armour, and sported the Eoseuleum crest – an orange streak that resembled a candle's flame – on the side of its neck.

**Blader of Eoseuleum – Tsubasa: Warrior-Type/DARK/Level 6/ATK 2000/DEF 1800**

"Then I'll use the Trap Card, Call of the Haunted, to revive Dark Blade of the Evil World." Sure enough, the Trap brought Matt's first monster back into the duel.

Dark Blade the Captain of the Evil World: Warrior-Type/DARK/Level 4/ATK 1800/DEF 1500

Matt stopped very suddenly, as an opportunity revealed itself to him. His hand contained a Level 6 monster and a Level 4 monster, either of which he could Normal Summon and go for an Xyz Summon of an appropriate Rank. _'If I Tributed Dark Blade of the Evil World to Summon this Level 6 monster, I could use it along with Tsubasa to Xyz Summon my Number… should I… could I really…"_

He clearly remembered Professor Usur's words: _"As long as you do not remove the band, you have absolutely nothing to fear from the Number anymore…" _And he was wearing the band, and he trusted the Professor, and knew he was telling the truth.

But still...

He couldn't get those images out of his head. The monster he had created – the Number – slashing over and over again; the crowd screaming, running, trying to get away from the pieces of building falling on them; the savage, gleeful joy that had filled him; the sense of wrongness, stemming from two separate souls-

He snapped out of it, and clenched his eyes shut, willing himself to get a grip. There was no doubt: he couldn't use the Number. It was too dangerous. He couldn't make himself take the risk, no matter how slight. With an effort, he opened his eyes and resumed his move.

"I... I Normal Summon **Paladin of Eoseuleum – Kishi**." The black-and-white knight appeared on the field.

**Paladin of Eoseuleum – Kishi: Warrior-Type/DARK/Level 4/ATK 1900/DEF 1000**

_'Here goes,' _he thought, forcing his mind to focus in order to clear it. _'I don't care how good she is, or how much we're becoming friends… this is a duel, and I don't lose duels!' _"Level four Dark Blade and Kishi, Overlay!" The two monsters morphed into two purple masses of energy, which shot upwards, clearing the way for a red portal to open. "I use these two Warrior-Type monsters to construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon!" The two Xyz Material Monsters shot into the portal, which exploded. "Rise up, **Captain of Eoseuleum – Sencho**!" The monster leapt out of the residue from the explosion. It was dressed almost completely in black armour, aside from the joints in its body – such as the elbows, shoulders, waist, knees, etc – which were coloured a striking orange. The Eoseuleum's crest was imprinted into its stomach, and it carried a basic longsword and a shield. It was orbitted by two purple Overlay Units.

**Captain of Eoseuleum – Sencho: Warrior-Type/Xyz/DARK/Rank 4/ATK 2300/DEF 1500 – 2 OLU**

"Nice," Leah said enthusiastically. "An Xyz Summon this early on. You're good."

Matt was in no mood to return the compliment. "Due to Sencho's effect, he gains 500 ATK for each Spell Card you control. Since you control that Field Spell, his ATK becomes 2800."

**Captain of Eoseuleum – Sencho: ATK 2300 **→ **2800**

"Battle! Sencho, attack one of her Tatamis, and Tsubasa, attack the other one!" Both monsters leapt forward to attack.

Then Leah intervened. "I activate the Trap Card, **Borealis' Mirage of Dreams**!" The Trap Card flipped up, and the field was suddenly covered in mist. Matt squinted, trying to see through it. Leah's voice, now loud and echo-y, startled him. "With this card, I can exchange one Borealis monster I control with any monster you control. So I think I'll take your Xyz Monster, Sencho!" The mist cleared quite suddenly, revealing a shift in the field. Both players now controlled a single Borealis Tatami and a single Eoseuleum monster, the stronger Xyz Monster on Leah's field. Because of the shift, the Field Spell altered the ATK and DEF of both Tatamis, and Captain of Eoseuleum – Sencho's ATK gain disappeared.

**Borealis Tatami: ATK 1900 **→** 1800/DEF 1300 **→** 1200**

**Borealis Tatami: ATK 1900 **→** 1800/DEF 1300 **→** 1200**

**Captain of Eoseuleum – Sencho: ATK 2800 **→** 2300**

Matt gritted his teeth, frustrated. _'Perfect control of the duel… an instant answer to my sudden counterattack… how is she doing this?'_

In the sidelines, James turned to Dan and asked, "Hey Dan, you know Leah better than us, how is her Deck able to counter Matt's so well?"

"Because Matt's Deck is a basic beatdown Deck." Dan replied. "It Summons strong monsters, its attacks, and that's about it. Leah's Deck is… different."

"Different how?" Katie asked, suddenly engaged in the conversation.

Dan grinned. "Different in that it doesn't Special Summon all that much, and it doesn't really need any strong monsters. Spirits use smooth manipulation and small combos to win. Its inconsistent, but when someone can make it work… the results definitely show." He paused for a moment, then went on. "Trust me, I've had to develop totally different strategies to fight her, and it's evolved my dueling by a long way. We make each other stronger."

Katie looked at James and grasped his hand. "Well, that sounds familiar." He smiled back.

Back in the duel, Matt was not sharing in the good mood, but was instead re-selecting his attack targets. "Right then, **Blader of Eoseuleum – Tsubasa**, attack her **Borealis Tatami**!" The Warrior took a swift uppercut slash at Leah's remaining Spirit, which cried out and dissipated.

**Leah LP:** 4000 → 3800

"With that, I end my turn."

Leah grinned cheekily. "I think I might've upset your comeback, sorry about that."

"Just go," Matt grunted.

Leah stopped smiling abruptly, surprised and annoyed by Matt's rudeness. _'Well,' _she thought to herself, _'the Professor did say he's been through a lot. I guess it's to be expected.' _"My move then, I draw." She gasped as she looked at the card she'd drawn, then her face lit up with excitement. Ignoring Matt, she turned to the stands and shouted, "Dan! Hey, Dan!"

"What's up?" He replied.

"I can Summon it," she said, and Dan instantly knew what she meant. She went on, "Do you think it's safe?"

"I was just about to ask you the same thing," he replied, "so I guess that kind of defeats the point, doesn't it."

Matt, James and Katie listened to this exchange, totally perplexed. Katie called out, "What do you mean, Leah? What can you Summon?" Matt listened carefully, hoping to gain some information on her next move.

"It's what we talked about earlier," Leah said, both excited and nervous. "I can do it... I can Summon my Number!"

* * *

Author-made cards:

Borealis Tatami  
Fairy-Type/Spirit/WATER/Level 4/ATK 1700/DEF 1100  
Cannot be Special Summoned. During the End Phase of the turn this card was Normal Summoned or flipped face-up: Return it to the hand. When this card is Normal Summoned: Add 1 "Borealis" monster from your Deck to your hand.

Blader of Eoseuleum - Tsubasa  
Warrior-Type/DARK/Level 6/ATK 2000/DEF 1800  
If your opponent controls a monster and you don't: You can target 1 Spell Card in your opponent's Graveyard; banish that target, then Special Summon this card from your hand. This card is unaffected by Spell effects.

Paladin of Eoseuleum - Kishi  
Warrior-Type/DARK/Level 4/ATK 1900/DEF 1000  
If this card attacks, your opponent cannot activate any Spell Cards until the end of the Damage Step. When this card destroys a monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard: You can add 1 "Candlelight" card from your Deck to your hand.

Captain of Eoseuleum - Sencho  
Warrior-Type/Xyz/DARK/Rank 4/ATK 2300/DEF 1500  
2 Level 4 Warrior-Type monsters  
You can Special Summon this card (from your Graveyard) by Tributing 1 face-up "Eoseuleum" monster you control while there is a Spell Card(s) on your opponent's field or in their Graveyard. This card gains 500 ATK for each face-up Spell Card your opponent controls. If this card would be destroyed, you can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card instead.

Spiritual Haven of the Borealis  
Field Spell Card  
Face-up Spirit monsters gain 100 ATK and DEF for each Spirit monster their controller controls. You cannot Normal Summon non-Spirit monsters. Once per turn: You can Normal Summon 1 monster from your hand as an additional Normal Summon.

Bond of the Borealis  
Quick-Play Spell Card  
Reveal 1 WATER Spirit monster in your hand; face-up "Borealis" monsters you currently control cannot return to the hand during any End Phase.

Borealis' Mirage of Dreams  
Trap Card  
Target 1 face-up "Borealis" monster you control and 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; switch control of those targets, then if they both have Levels, gain Life Points equal to the difference in their Levels x 300.

* * *

**Fun Fact #4: Matt's internal struggle with a power he doesn't want to use is pretty generic by the standards of anime, we know, but it'll characterise him very well and we'll try to make it as engaging as possible.**

**Fun Fact #5: Continuing with the naming theme of the Eoseuleum monsters, Tsubasa means Blader, and Sencho means Captain.**

**Fun Fact #6: Oops... I know Tatami means something in Japanese, but I can't remember what... sorry guys (if anyone can tell me, that'd be great).**


	3. Chapter 3

**Matt LP:** 2000

**Borealis Tatami: Fairy-Type/Spirit/WATER/Level 4/ATK 1800/DEF 1200**

**Blader of Eoseuleum – Tsubasa: Warrior-Type/DARK/Level 6/ATK 2000/DEF 1800**

**Leah LP:** 3800

**Captain of Eoseuleum – Sencho: Warrior-Type/Xyz/DARK/Rank 4/ATK 2300/DEF 1500 – 2 OLU**

Spell & Trap Card Zone: **Spiritual Haven of the Borealis** [Field Card]

There was a moment of silence while everyone digested the implications of this piece of information. James was the first to speak. "Hang on, your Number? Are you sure that's a good idea? What if it starts rampaging again?"

Dan turned to him, looking genuinely perplexed. "Come on, you must know why this is necessary."

Leah, now quite serious, spoke up. "We need to use our Numbers as tools to gather other Numbers. If we never use our Numbers out of fear of what _might_ happen, we'll never be able to save other holders." She grinned. "So, to make sure its safe, I'm going to try Summoning Number 17. If it goes insane and starts attacking everyone and destroying the building, we'll know that the bands probably aren't working."

Everyone laughed nervously. Everyone except Matt, that is. Matt was struggling with himself, trying to get his fears under control, and trying to inject a sense of logic into his thoughts. What Leah was saying was a perfectly valid argument: he had to make good on his promise to save other Number holders.

But still, those horrific images... they just wouldn't leave him alone...

"I Summon **Borealis Leger**!" Matt was snapped out of his thoughts by the appearance of the bow-toting angel.

**Borealis Leger: Fairy-Type/Spirit/WATER/Level 4/ATK 1400/DEF 600**

"Oh, and let's not forget that she gains a boost from my Field Spell."

**Borealis Leger: ATK 1400 **→** 1500/DEF 600 **→** 700**

"And due to its effect, when it's Normal Summoned, I can increase the Level of any Spirit monster I control by one." Leger raised its bow... "I'll have it increase its own Level" ...and fired it straight up. The arrow dissipated into particles of light almost the moment it left the bow, which swirled around Leger and upped its Level.

**Borealis Leger: Level 4 **→** 5**

"Next, I'll use my Field Spell's effect to gain an extra Normal Summon each turn. I Summon Izanami." The familiar black-haired Spirit, dressed in a large white robe, appeared.

Izanami: Fairy-Type/Spirit/WATER/Level 4/ATK 1100/DEF 1800

Izanami: ATK 1100 → 1300/DEF 1800 → 2000

**Borealis Leger: ATK 1500 **→** 1600/DEF 700 **→** 800**

"And I think I'll use Izanami's effect as well. When she's Summoned, I can discard one card to return any Spirit monster from my Graveyard to my hand. I discard **Borealis Nanbu** to recover Borealis Tatami." She exchanged the two cards, then grinned cunningly. "Now then, normally I would leave these two Spirits here and just attack with them. But this duel serves a purpose, so let's ignore common sense and get this ball rolling! I activate the Spell Card, Resonance Device, which lets me change the Level of one of my monsters to equal the Level of another monster I control with the same type and Attribute. So since they're both WATER Fairy-Types, I'll change the Level of Izanami to equal Leger." The Spell Card let of resonance waves that surrounded both monsters.

Izanami: Level 4 → 5

"Nice one," said Katie. "She actually did it, like she said. She's good."

"You're telling me," Dan replied, still fixated on the duel.

"Ready or not, here it comes!" Leah called. As if in response, both her monsters morphed into blue masses of light. "Level five Izanami and **Borealis Leger**, Overlay!" The monsters flew upwards, making room for a galaxy-shaped portal to open. "I use these two monsters to construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon!" The monsters shot into the portal, which exploded. "Be born! **Number 17: Passion Aurora**!"

The green number seventeen flashed above the field, and the spinning sideways-oval crest appeared, sporting three sharp protrusions; two from the side and one from underneath. Protruding from the side of each 'spike' were two downy wings. Lines of light traced across the surface of the crest as it started to unfold. All six wings stretched out. A pitch-black humanoid figure, covered in shining gold armour, began to take form. Two scarf-like strips of fabric, one grey and one purple, hung from its waste. It had spikes on its kneecaps, and pointed feet. Everything about it besides its wings looked synthetic. With one final battle-cry, it stretched out its arms and wings, then took its position ready for battle, orbited by two yellow Overlay Units.

**Number 17: Passion Aurora: Fairy-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 5/ATK 2500/DEF 1800 – 2 OLU**

James, Katie and Dan instinctively got to their feet. The kept their eyes fixed on the Number, waiting for it to do... something... anything that could be dangerous.

But no. The Number simply stood there, like any ordinary monster, waiting patiently to be told to do something. Dan felt a knot of tension in his gut loosen. It seemed that the Professor had been right – the bands had rendered the Number harmless.

Matt, however, was having a very different reaction. He was staring into the eyes of the Number with pure terror, which grew with every passing second. _'This thing… it's like my- it's… that's…"_ Without warning, those dreadful images were back with him again, more vivid and horrifying that ever before. With a jolt, he realised that the thing standing before him was exactly the same as the thing that had hurt so many people on his whim. It was all he could do not to bolt from the very sight of this creature. He was shaking. He felt sick with fear...

Suddenly, a cry of anguish cut through his haze of fear like a knife. Every pair of eyes in the room snapped to Leah, who was clutching her left hand, and staring at it in horror.

From her hand, visible to everyone, emanated a soft green glow...

Immediately, Dan vaulted the barrier and started running towards her. In the space of three seconds had crossed the distance between them, leapt onto the platform, and ran over to her. Her hands were trembling. He gently took hold of her wrist, and pulled her right hand away so he could see properly. And sure enough, there it was...

The green number seventeen, etched onto the back of her left hand like a glowing green tattoo.

"No..." he whispered. He let go of her arm and put his hand on her shoulders, turning her to face him. "Leah... look at me." She obediently looked him in the eyes. They were both a similar height, so she did not have to raise her head to look at him. "Can you feel it? Is the Number affecting you?"

Leah stayed quiet. Everyone in the room held their breath, worried. Even Matt had partially forgotten his fear and was now watching Leah with wariness.

Thirty seconds passed...

Then a minute...

Finally she spoke. "I... I can't feel anything." Slowly, her face started to brighten. "Nothing. I think the band worked. The Number isn't affecting me. It worked!" By this point, she was positively grinning again.

Everyone in the room let out a sigh of relief. Dan let his arms relax, let out a laugh of relief, and playfully punched her on the arm.

"Hey," she said indignantly, but laughing all the same. "What was that for?"

"Giving me a damn good scare is what." Dan replied, trying to keep a straight face, but kept smiling with relief.

Leah folded her arms, the glowing number still clearly visible on her hand. "That Professor... he could've warned us that the number still appears on our bodies. I got the shock of my life!"

"Oh give over," Dan laughed. "You're fine, aren't you?"

"Yeah, but-"

"Guys, above you!" James shouted.

Dan and Leah quickly looked up at the Number. Passion Aurora has no longer standing in the same position. Its head was tilted down and it was... looking at them. It wasn't thrashing around or rearing up to attack. It was just looking at them, its glowing white eyes clearly visible through its helmet. In a way, that was far more eerie.

"Hey," Dan whispered. "Can you feel anything now? Is this thing trying to say something to you?"

Leah's eyes closed as she felt around carefully, searching for any hint of something – a thought, a feeling, anything – that wasn't hers. Finally, she opened them again.

"Yes..." She said slowly, her eyes never leaving the Number. "I can just about feel it. It's... angry." Dan looked at her, concerned. "It's a really tiny feeling, like I'm looking at it down a tunnel, or from a great distance, but that much is clear: it's furious. It's raging at me, at you, at your Number, at Matt... at everything."

Dan looked back at the Number, still wary, but no longer nervous in its presence. "So it's angry, but we know the band is keeping it in check." He looked back at her. "If you ask me, I think it's safe."

"Same," she replied. "It's angry, but I don't think it can actually do anything. So we're safe." She grinned, her fear gone. "Well, now that that's sorted, go sit down boy. This is my stage."

Dan laughed. "Just be careful." He walked back to his seat. Leah took a deep breath to calm her nerves, then turned to look at Matt.

"So, you ok to get straight back in?" She asked.

As it turned out, Matt was far from ok. He was battling internally with his crippling fear of the Number, his wariness of the Number's unusual actions – it had raised its head and was now staring at him instead – and his determination to get over his fears. Despite everything, he nodded, not trusting himself with words just yet.

"Alright then," she said cheerfully. "Then let's go." Just before declaring her first attack, she stopped herself, and thought things through. _'In our last duel, both Numbers manifested themselves as real monsters.' _She reached behind her slowly, and touched the spike protruding from the angel's knee.

It was solid. And cold.

_'Right,' _she thought, _'so the bands don't stop the Numbers becoming real. So I mustn't attack him directly with it. That could hurt him really badly.' _Reassured, she resumed her move. "Go, Passion Aurora! Attack his **Blader of Eoseuleum – Tsubasa**!" The Number lifted both hands and charged a sphere of pale gold energy between them. Taking the sphere in its left hand, it pulled its arm back... "Ionization blast!" ...and let loose a crackling beam of yellow energy, which struck Tsubasa, destroying it on the spot.

The shockwave was bigger than Matt expected. With a cry of pain, he was lifted off his feet and hurled backwards, landing painfully on his back.

**Matt LP:** 2000 → 1500

He struggled into a sitting position, his fear of the Number very much renewed.

"Now, **Captain of Eoseuleum – Sencho**, attack the **Borealis Tatami** I gave him!" The captain let out a loud battle-cry, crossed the distance swiftly, and slashed at the rainbow-hued angel, which dissipated.

**Matt LP:** 1500 → 1000

"I'll set one card and end my turn." Her set card appeared, and she took an anxious step forwards, worried about Matt, who was struggling to get up. "Hey, are you ok? You didn't break any bones, did you?"

Matt shook his head without saying a word, and through sheer force of will alone, stood up and began his turn. "My turn... draw!"

Before he could go any further than that, however, James shouted at him from the stands. "Hey Matt. Do us a favour and Summon your Number, would you? Ideally we need to see both in action to be sure the bands are working." Katie nodded beside him.

Matt shook his head. "It's ok. I can win without it-"

"C'mon Matt, that's not the point," Katie interrupted. "This duel isn't about winning or losing. It's just a test. That's all."

"Seriously Matt, it'll be fine," Leah reassured him. "Here, I'll make it easier for you." She raised her hand. "I activate the effect of **Number 17: Passion Aurora**! During either player's turn, by detaching one of its Overlay Units, I can shut off its effect for the rest of this turn." One of Number 17's Overlay Units broke orbit and flew into its helmet with a flash of light. A few feathers detached themselves from 17's wings and began to float in small circles around it.

**Number 17: Passion Aurora: 2 **→** 1 OLU**

Leah nodded, satisfied. "There we go. Now you can Special Summon all you like this turn. Go for it."

Matt couldn't bring himself to reply. Despite everything that had happened today, and despite his own consoling, he couldn't bring himself to do it. A quick glance at his hand gave him even more bad news: he had the resources to Summon his Number. And Passion Aurora's effect was no longer applying. He could... but he couldn't...

_'No…' _A new idea came to him. _'No, this isn't the time to test my Number. This is the time to prove that I don't need it. So what if my opponent has a strong monster. If I can prove that I can defeat a Number without a Number, then I can become an even stronger Number hunter. I don't need you, Dark Excalibur… this is my duel!'_

* * *

Author-made cards:

Borealis Tatami  
Fairy-Type/Spirit/WATER/Level 4/ATK 1700/DEF 1100  
Cannot be Special Summoned. During the End Phase of the turn this card was Normal Summoned or flipped face-up: Return it to the hand. When this card is Normal Summoned: Add 1 "Borealis" monster from your Deck to your hand.

Blader of Eoseuleum - Tsubasa  
Warrior-Type/DARK/Level 6/ATK 2000/DEF 1800  
If your opponent controls a monster and you don't: You can target 1 Spell Card in your opponent's Graveyard; banish that target, then Special Summon this card from your hand. This card is unaffected by Spell effects.

Borealis Leger  
Fairy-type/Spirit/WATER/Level 4/ATK 1400/DEF 600  
Cannot be Special Summoned. During the End Phase of the turn this card was Normal Summoned or flipped face-up: Return it to the hand. When this card is Normal Summoned: You can target 1 face-up Spirit monster you control; that target gains 1 Level.

Captain of Eoseuleum - Sencho  
Warrior-Type/Xyz/DARK/Rank 4/ATK 2300/DEF 1500  
2 Level 4 Warrior-Type monsters  
You can Special Summon this card (from your Graveyard) by Tributing 1 face-up "Eoseuleum" monster you control while there is a Spell Card(s) on your opponent's field or in their Graveyard. This card gains 500 ATK for each face-up Spell Card your opponent controls. If this card would be destroyed, you can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card instead.

Number 17: Passion Aurora  
Fairy-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 5/ATK 2500/DEF 1800  
2 Level 5 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. Neither player can Special Summon monsters. During either player's turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; negate this card's effects until the End Phase.

Spiritual Haven of the Borealis  
Field Spell Card  
Face-up Spirit monsters gain 100 ATK and DEF for each Spirit monster their controller controls. You cannot Normal Summon non-Spirit monsters. Once per turn: You can Normal Summon 1 monster from your hand as an additional Normal Summon.

* * *

**Fun Fact #7: Maybe we should be writing horror stories... anyway, yeah, slightly more eerie chapter, sorry about that. Normal humourous content will be resumed as soon as possible.**

**Fun Fact #8: Yes, I did copy and paste the Summoning sequence for Number 17: Passion Aurora straight from the last story. Coming up with a unique Summoning sequence for... well, the exact same Summoning sequence, is very hard.**

**Fun Fact #9: I wonder if I could've killed the tension by having the Number call Leah 'sweetcakes'...**

**Fun Fact #10: Don't even think about it, Dan!**

**Fun Fact #11: Oi, you two, stop wasting Fun Facts!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Matt LP:** 1000

**Leah LP:** 3800

**Captain of Eoseuleum – Sencho: Warrior-Type/Xyz/DARK/Rank 4/ATK 2300/DEF 1500 – 2 OLU**

******Number 17: Passion Aurora: Fairy-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 5/ATK 2500/DEF 1800 - 1 OLU**

Spell & Trap Card Zone: **Spiritual Haven of the Borealis** [Field Card]**  
**

"I Normal Summon **Guardian of Eoseuleum – Koken**!" Matt said. The monster that rose up had a very guardian-esque appearance. It was short, but wore very bulky black armour, and carried an oversized semi-circular shield, with the Eoseuleum's crest printed onto its surface.

**Guardian of Eoseuleum – Koken: Warrior-Type/DARK/Level 3/ATK 1000/DEF 1500**

Matt grinned, his first real expression – besides fear – since the duel began. "Next, you activate the Spell Card, **Candlelight Aura**!"

Leah frowned. She was sure she'd misheard. But no, he had definitely said "_you activate_", not "_I activate_". Then she gasped, and looked down at her duel disk. A sharp flash of light had emanated from it, and when it faded, there was a new card in her Spell & Trap Card Zone. **Candlelight Aura**. The Spell that Matt had just activated. She looked up at him, confused.

"When this card is activated from my hand," Matt was explaining, "it activates as my opponent's card, and is placed in my opponent's Spell & Trap Card Zone during activation and resolution."

Leah, still confused, looked at the card again. "So... you're making me activate your card?"

"That's right," he replied.

"Does that mean I get to apply its effects as the activator?"

"Correct," Matt grinned again, "and the effect goes thusly: you have to target one Eoseuleum monster on the field and destroy it. So go ahead. Choose one."

She frowned, considering her choice carefully. _'I have two choices,'_ she thought to herself, _'I can destroy the Koken under Matt's control, or the Sencho under my control. Well, the obvious choice is to destroy Matt's monster… but hang on, why would he perform his move in that order? Surely the smart thing to do would've been to activate the Spell first, so I'd be forced to destroy my own Sencho, then Summon Koken afterwards. Does he want me to destroy Koken…' _Though she felt she was walking straight into a trap, Leah made her decision. "I target **Guardian of Eoseuleum – Koken**." The Spell, which had appeared on her field while they'd been talking, glowed an angry orange colour. An orb of light, rippling with heat, shot from the card and struck Koken's shield.

"Due to Koken's effect, it cannot be destroyed by the effects of Spell Cards!" Matt shouted. Sure enough, with a swipe of its shield, Koken brushed aside the flames. "Also, when you activate a Spell Card, Koken's second effect activates. Now I can choose to double its ATK, its DEF, or its Level, until the End Phase."

Leah gasped. "You planned this! You made me activate that card to give you an advantage."

"Absolutely," Matt replied. "Now, I choose to double Koken's Level."

**Guardian of Eoseuleum – Koken: Level 3 **→** 6**

"Then, I'll Special Summon **Assassin of Eoseuleum – Shikaku** from my hand!" Matt's new monster – sporting a streamlined black armour, and six pitch black daggers each with the Eoseuleum crest – leapt onto the field with a battle cry.

**Assassin of Eoseuleum – Shikaku: Warrior-Type/DARK/Level 6/ATK 1000/DEF 1000**

"This card can be Special Summoned from my hand if my opponent activated a Spell Card previously during this turn. Also, when it's Summoned in this way, I can destroy any one monster you control. I choose my own **Captain of Eoseuleum – Sencho** that you control!" Shikaku immediately leapt forwards and slashed at Sencho with one of its daggers. Sencho intercepted with its sword. The clash of metal echoed throughout the room.

Leah acted quickly. "I use the effect of Sencho. It can save itself from destruction my detaching one of its Overlay Units!" One of Sencho's purple Overlay Units flew in between the two monsters, then dissipated violently, forcing them apart. The Assassin grunted, then leapt back to Matt's field.

**Captain of Eoseuleum - Sencho: 2 **→** 1 OLU**

"Level 6 Koken and Shikaku, Overlay!" Matt wasn't wasting any time. Both monsters turned purple and shot upwards, then spiralled back down into the red portal. "I use these two monsters to construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon! Appear, Sword Breaker!" The portal exploded, and out of it flew a silver armoured warrior, adjourned with a ridiculous amount of weapons. It was orbited by two orange Overlay Units.

Sword Breaker: Warrior-Type/Xyz/EARTH/Rank 6/ATK 2700/DEF 1000 – 2 OLU

"What? Sword Breaker?" James said, observing the generic Xyz Monster with confusion. "Hey Matt, what's going on? Where's your Number?"

Immediately, Matt rounded on him and shouted back. "I told you already: I don't need that thing! I'm strong enough to win without it, even against another Number!"

"But that's not what this is about-" James argued, now standing up.

Ignoring him, Matt turned back to Leah and continued his turn regardless. "I activate Sword Breaker's effect. By detaching an Overlay Unit and declaring a Type, Sword Breakerwill immediately destroy monsters of that type on contact during battle. I choose Fairy-Type!" One of Sword Breaker's orange Overlay Units flew into its sword, and as if it knew what was coming next, it readied itself.

Sword Breaker: 2 → 1 OLU

"Battle! Sword Breaker, attack **Number 17: Passion Aurora**!" Sword Breaker charged forwards, readying a number of weapons.

"That's clever," Dan muttered. The other two looked at him questioningly. "Don't you see? If Numbers can only be destroyed by battle by other Numbers, then the best way to defeat them is by card effects. Number 17's effect can't save it from that."

But as usual, Leah was ready. "I activate the Trap Card, **Borealis' Veil**!" As the Trap Card flipped up, she chose a card in her hand and showed it to Matt. It was **Borealis Kita**. "By revealing a Borealis monster in my hand, monsters I control are unaffected by card effects during this turn. So Sword Breaker's effect won't harm Number 17, and the battle continues as normal." The Trap Card surrounded Passion Aurora with a green shimmering shroud. Sword Breaker slashed at it, but could do no harm by its effect or – due to it not being a Number – by the battle. Leah, however, still had to cover her face as the damage hit her.

**Leah LP:** 3800 → 3600

Matt looked on in dismay, realising that he'd completely failed. The Number – as well as the duelist behind it – was just too powerful. He couldn't fight either of them.

He cursed himself for being such a coward. If only he'd had the strength of will to use his own Number. To overcome this ridiculous fear... he couldn't hide behind pretences. He couldn't pretend he was doing this to prove himself a good duelist. The truth was quite simple, and all the more pathetic because of it...

He was scared...

And he hated himself for it.

A buzzer sounded. Matt looked up. A sign had appeared over the field.

**Matt LP:** 1000 [DRAW]

**Leah LP:** 3600 [DRAW]

The augmented reality faded away just as quickly. Matt looked at Leah, and noticed that she was just as confused as he was. In the stands, the other three were whispering to each other, wondering if it was a technical fault. It was only then that Matt became aware of his D-Gazer beeping. Someone was trying to contact him. He pressed a button to open communications, and was immediately greeted by Professor Usur's voice. He didn't sound happy.

"What're you kids playing at?!" He said angrily. "I sent out an alert half an hour ago! I've been trying to contact you for the last twenty minutes! I can't believe I actually had to stop your duel before you'd listen to me!"

"We're sorry, Professor." Leah said hurriedly, as everyone else tuned their D-Gazer's into the conversation. "We just wanted to test out our Numbers, to see if the bands were working fine-"

That seemed to make the Professor even angrier. "Of course they work fine, girl! I made them! What's the point in working for me if you're going to mistrust my work at the first opportunity?" Leah didn't know what to say.

Dan's natural instinct was to stick up for his friend, and that's exactly what he did. "Professor, she didn't mean that. It's just that we need to duel with our Numbers to know what it feels like. You know, as a test run. Before we go out and use it for real."

The Professor was silent for a moment, but once he started talking again, he seemed to have accepted this argument. "Whatever. But I'll not stand for such disrespect again!" Leah nodded to Dan in thanks. "Now then, onto the matter in hand. Some time ago, a Number was detected near the shoreline at 56th avenue. Your task is to retrieve that Number from its holder, and bring it back here safely. This is your first big task: don't fail me." The communication ended abruptly.

Everyone was silent for a while, digesting what had just been said. Katie was the first to speak. "So... does this mean we have our first mission?" Dan nodded, but James burst out laughing. "What?" she asked.

"A mission?" James said, still laughing. "You make it sound like we're secret agents, off to save the world from evil."

_'Well, you're half right,' _Matt thought sullenly.

"Stop laughing," Katie snapped, but smiling all the same.

"Well then," James stated loudly. "Since Katie thinks we're all super-secret agents, I think that's exactly what we should do." He stood on his chair and placed a fist in his chest dramatically. "I shall be your leader, super-mega-secret agent Esquongattery the third." He then looked down at Katie. "You can be my sidekick, agent Kikyo."

Katie leapt up. "No way!" She shouted, and wrapped her arms around James' legs. Unable to stay upright, James toppled over backwards, ending up sprawled across several chairs, with Katie attacking him half-playfully. "Why do I have to be the sidekick?"

"Ow, because- oof... because that's the role best suited for y- OW, stop that!"

Dan and Leah were doubled over with laughter at this sight. Earlier in the day, Matt might have joined in the good mood. But now he was too gloomy, too lost in his own thoughts, to do so.

James had finally managed to extricate himself from under Katie. They exchanged a quick kiss, before attempting to be serious. Leah had hopped off the stage and come over to join them, resting her arms on the dividing wall.

"Alright," said Katie, taking charge. "We've been told that when the alert sounds, we should head downstairs to the front entrance, where Professor Usur will have a private taxi waiting for us. It'll drive us where we need to go."

"So we're all going?" Leah queried. "Even though only one of us has to duel?"

"Yes," Katie replied. "We should all see what to expect, and we can step in if there's trouble."

Leah nodded, but Dan had another question. "So how do we find the Number then?"

Katie opened her mouth, but James answered instead. "The driver will have coordinates to follow, and our D-Gazers have been modified with a tracking mode, so we can follow the Number holder from long range, then accurately search it out at short range." Dan nodded in understanding.

"Well then," Katie said, "we all have our D-Gazers, our duel disks, and our Decks: there's no need to wait for anything else. So, shall we get going?"

Everyone stood up, exited the stands, and made their way to the door.

"Hold up," Leah said. Everyone turned around to look at her. She turned back to the stage. "Hey Matt, you coming or what?"

Matt snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of his name. "Uh huh…" he said, distractedly. He jumped off the stage and made his way over to the other four, not making eye contact with any of them. James looked at him with a mix of frustration and concern. _'We're supposed to be a team,'_ he thought, _'but this guy isn't bothered with what any of us want. He's not thinking about the team. What's his problem?'_

*MEANWHILE*

In a control room, practically drowning in computer screens, Professor Usur was on the shouting orders. "Transfer the coordinates to their D-Gazers, and initiate two-way tracking mode. I want the Deltas monitored at all times! Make certain that..."

Everyone in the room was listening to his orders, acting immediately, fearful of being on the receiving end of his temper. But one of the men was far from fearful. He was joyous. The Professor's organisation had just found its first retrievable Number. This would be cause for any of the staff to celebrate. But more so for this man.

He stood up and spoke to his superior, asking him if he wanted a coffee. His superior nodded, his eyes never leaving his computer screen, and his fingers dancing over the keyboard. The man turned and walked out of the room without another word.

The moment he was outside, he slid a phone out of his pocket and hit speed dial. It was only a few seconds before his call was answered.

"Doctor Lithon, sir," the man said, "Usur's men have just found the first stray Number." There was a quick silence on the end of the phone, followed by some swift orders. "Yes sir, I will get started immediately." The man shut his phone, slipped it back into his pocket, and walked off down the corridor to get some coffee.

He reckoned that the news had put his true boss in a great mood.

* * *

Author-made cards:

Guardian of Eoseuleum - Koken  
Warrior-Type/DARK/Level 3/ATK 1000/DEF 1500  
This card cannot be destroyed by Spell effects. Once per turn, when your opponent activates a Spell Card: You can choose 1 of these effects; resolve the chosen effect. ●Double this card's ATK until the End Phase. ●Double this card's DEF until the End Phase. ●Double this card's Level until the End Phase.

Assassin of Eoseuleum - Shikaku  
Warrior-Type/DARK/Level 6/ATK 1000/DEF 1000  
If your opponent activated a Spell Card previously this turn, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand). When you do: Target 1 monster your opponent controls; destroy that target.

Captain of Eoseuleum - Sencho  
Warrior-Type/Xyz/DARK/Rank 4/ATK 2300/DEF 1500  
2 Level 4 Warrior-Type monsters  
You can Special Summon this card (from your Graveyard) by Tributing 1 face-up "Eoseuleum" monster you control while there is a Spell Card(s) on your opponent's field or in their Graveyard. This card gains 500 ATK for each face-up Spell Card your opponent controls. If this card would be destroyed, you can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card instead.

Number 17: Passion Aurora  
Fairy-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 5/ATK 2500/DEF 1800  
2 Level 5 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. Neither player can Special Summon monsters. During either player's turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; negate this card's effects until the End Phase.

Spiritual Haven of the Borealis  
Field Spell Card  
Face-up Spirit monsters gain 100 ATK and DEF for each Spirit monster their controller controls. You cannot Normal Summon non-Spirit monsters. Once per turn: You can Normal Summon 1 monster from your hand as an additional Normal Summon.

Candlelight Aura  
Spell Card  
This card is activated as your opponent's card, and is placed from your hand into your opponent's Spell & Trap Card Zone. Target 1 face-up "Eoseuleum" monster on the field; destroy that target. Each player can only activate 1 "Candlelight Aura" per turn. If this card is in your Graveyard: You can discard 1 "Eoseuleum" monster; add this card from your Graveyard to your hand.

Borealis' Veil  
Trap Card  
Reveal 1 "Borealis" monster in your hand; until the End Phase, face-up monsters you control are unaffected by other card effects.

* * *

**Fun Fact #12: As you've probably guessed, Koken means guardian and Shikaku means assassin. They are also the second and third Eoseuleum monsters to be part of another archetype (the Guardians and Assassins, respectively), the first one being Knight of Eoseuleum - Na Ito.**

**Fun Fact #13: I got the inspiration for Candlelight Aura while thinking; "How would I possibly get the effects of the Eoseuleum monsters to work in real life, since this is such a monster-heavy format?" Then I had the idea for a Spell that you can force your opponent to activate, and this is the result.**

**Fun Fact #14: The mysterious Doctor Lithon mentioned at the end of this chapter will be one of the three major antagonists of the series. He will make his proper debut in the next few stories.**


	5. Chapter 5

The taxi dropped the five kids off in the late afternoon on the city's western shoreline, and it was here that they realised the enormity of the task ahead of them. The trackers were sophisticated, but only accurate to within a few hundred metres. This meant that they had the entire coastline, plus several hundred square metres of coastal city to search.

To make matters worse, the signs they were looking for were vague at best. A person acting strangely. A duel in which one of the monsters somehow looked more solid that the others. A glowing symbol on their body, which could easily be hidden by clothes.

Despite the events of the day, Matt took charge as the taxi pulled away. "Ok, we have a large area to search, and not a lot of clues to go on. So I reckon our best plan is to split up." The others nodded, and Matt was glad that they were accepting his decisions. Or perhaps they'd come to the same decision themselves. Not that it mattered, anyway. He went on. "The first one who finds the Number holder, use your D-Gazers to send out a signal to the rest of us, then immediately engage the holder in battle. We'll come running, and offer support if you need it. Any questions?"

The others all shook their heads. "Sounds good to me." Katie said, summing up the mood.

Matt nodded. "Alright then. Let's get going." They all set off in five different directions. Matt and Dan headed down to comb opposite ends of the shoreline, Katie went to check the coastal attractions, and Leah and James headed deeper into the city.

*SOME TIME LATER*

James was simply having no luck at all. He had chosen a particularly busy part of town, and was quickly discovering that trying to examine all these people for signs of Number possession was an almost impossible task. He also couldn't work out why people were being so wary of him - casting him edgy glances, speeding up slightly to get away from him...

It was only when a group of pensioners crossed a busy street to avoid him that he realised what he must look like. An 18-year old kid, wandering unpurposefully around the streets, staring intently at everyone. He must look like either a criminal intent on robbing someone, or just plain weird. As soon as he realised this, he moved to another street and was a lot more careful about openly staring, but once he did this, it became even harder to spot clues. He wanted to scream in frustration.

Leah was having no easier a time. She'd chosen a less busy part of town, but unfortunately, this was because this area had many restaurants, and everyone was packed into them. This meant that she had to walk into one, sit at a table, examine as many people as possible, then leave quickly before a waiter came over to take an order. It was a slow and painful process, and it was getting her nowhere fast.

Katie was also struggling. She had selected the seaside arcade, and the majority of people here were below the age of twelve. The body language of children was even harder to read than that of an adult, and Katie was unable to examine them more closely for signs of a glowing number, for fear of getting arrested. Besides, somehow she believed that kids of this age wouldn't have a Number...

Dan was lost... there was no other way of putting it; he was hopelessly lost in the network of caves that many tourists came to the city to see. They were called the Arcane Caves, and they were very convoluted. He had quickly deduced that no remotely sane Number holder would've come in here, and was now struggling to retrace his steps.

Matt, on the other hand, was simply depressed. He had only come to the beach a few times in his life and he had absolutely loved it. But now, the recent day's events combined with the monotony of his task had put him in a gloomy mood. He was supposed to be looking for a stray Number, but the only Numbers he could think about were his own and Leah's.

_'How?' _he asked himself. _'How did she do it? How did she overcome her fear to such an extend as to be able to Summon her Number? She must have been scared too. She must have…" _Thinking back, he saw the look of terror on her face as she saw the glowing mark on the back of her hand. For some reason, that image had stuck most vividly in his mind. _'Yes, she was scared. The question is, how did she get over it? And why couldn't I do the same? Is she just a stronger person than me?' _He clenched his fist in frustration.

"You ok, mate?"

Startled, Matt spun around. Standing behind him, eyeing him with mild curiosity, was a young man dressed in a blue uniform, and shouldering a white backpack. He was about 23-years old, and had striking blonde hair with green highlights that really didn't suit him. Matt assumed he was a staff member from one of the coastal attractions.

"You were looking a little lost in ya thoughts there, pal," the man continued. "Is everything alright?"

Matt was in no mood to bandy words around, and certainly in no mood to be polite. "I'm fine." He said. Then, "Who are you?"

The man smiled and held out a hand. "My name's Mizutsu, nice to meet'cha."

Matt hesitated, then shook Mizutsu's hand. "I'm Matt."

"An interesting name if ever I've seen one," said Mizutsu cheerfully, before turning and looking out to sea. "Don'cha find it great, coming out here to relax? This is about the time that everyone's gone in for supper, so I practically get the place to myself." He turned back to Matt. "Ah, sorry. I haven't seen ya before; ya must be new around these parts. So, what brings ya to the beach at this hour, pal?"

"I'm looking for something..."

"No way, me too!" The man looked at him with renewed interest. "Well, what is it that'cha looking for? Maybe I've seen it."

Matt considered for a moment, but couldn't see the harm in telling him. "I'm looking for a certain card, one that's most likely been used in a duel recently. It has the word 'Number' in its name, and it will-"

The moment Matt said the word 'Number', Mizutsu's expression changed completely. His eyes widened, he started to breathe heavily, and a freakish grin took over his once pleasant smile. "Numbers..." he muttered, his eyes never leaving Matt. Matt gasped and took a step back. "Numbers... must acquire... Numbers..." On his cheek, an aqua-blue glowing symbol etched itself: the number thirty-six.

"What the hell..." Matt muttered to himself. He immediately readied his duel disk and backed away from Mizutsu. He was the Number holder. There was certainly no doubting that.

Mizutsu pointed at him with a shaking hand, the number on his cheek glowing brighter than ever. "You have a Number, don'cha?" he shouted. Matt nodded slowly, which produced an even larger grin from Mizutsu. "Excellent... that means you're what I was looking for."

"And you have was I was looking for!" Matt retorted.

"Ah... then that means only one thing..." Mizutsu reached into his backpack and pulled out a grey duel disk and D-Gazer. "We duel! Winner takes all!"

Matt nodded again.

"Duel disk, set! D-Gazer, set!" Bother players readied themselves. The D-Gazers linked with each other, and the augmented reality rose up around them.

_"AR Vision – link established."_

Matt raised a hand to his D-Gazer, his hand hovering over the button that would call the others to his location. He hesitated there for only a second, then lowered his hand.

This was his fight. No-one else's.

"DUEL!"

**Mizutsu LP:** 4000

**Matt LP: **4000

"I'll begin, if ya don't mind. Draw!" All of Mizutsu's initial friendliness seemed to have disappeared by this point. He didn't have to consider his move for long. "I activate the Spell Card, Terraforming! This lets me add any Field Spell Card from my Deck to my hand. I'll get Umi." His duel disk extracted the card, which he immediately activated. "I activate the Field Spell, Umi!" There was a rumbling noise. Matt turned his head towards the sea, and noticed that it was rising up the beach at an alarming rate. It washed over his feet, and continued rising up to knee level. "Next, I Set one monster, along with two Spell or Trap cards, and end my turn." All three of his face-down cards appeared, rising and falling slowly with the waves.

Refusing to give himself time to think, Matt dove straight in. "My turn, draw! I Summon **Paladin of Eoseuleum - Kishi**!" One of the two Eoseuleum twins appeared. It was coloured black and white in swirling patterns, with a streak of dark orange – the Eoseuleum's crest - on its left shoulder. It stood on the water, producing only the slightest ripple.

**Paladin of Eoseuleum – Kishi: Warrior-Type/DARK/Level 4/ATK 1900/DEF 1000**

"Go, Kishi! Attack the face-down monster!" The Knight splashed its way forward and sliced the face-down card in two. The monster appeared briefly – Drill Barnacle – before dissipating.

Drill Barnacle: Aqua-Type/WATER/Level 3/ATK 300/DEF 0

"Next I'll activate Kishi's effect. When he destroys a monster by battle, I can add any card with Candlelight in its name from my Deck to my hand." Just as Mizutsu's had done, Matt's duel disk extracted a card for him. "I choose **Candlelight Flare**. Then, I'll Set two cards and end my t-"

"You're not done until I say ya done!" Mizutsu retorted. "Trap Card, activate! Abyss-strom!"

The Trap Card activated and, without warning, a mighty wind was whipped up. Water was pulled from the surface of the sea, creating a raging maelstrom. Matt braced himself and covered his face, the water and wind pummeling him. It was like being pelted with thousands of insects, rather than droplets of rain. Mizutsu had to shout to make himself heard. "With this card, by sending Umi from my field to my Graveyard, all of yer Spell and Trap Cards are destroyed!"

Both of Matt's face-down cards, unable to activate, were blown away by the gale. As Matt watched them fly away and dissipate, he also noticed the water around his feet rushing back into the ocean. Within a few seconds, it had all disappeared. Both duelists were standing on sand once more, and both of their fields were looking quite bare, aside from Matt's Paladin.

"Anythin' else, pal?" Mizutsu grinned.

Matt knew his opponent was mocking him. He was already in the End Phase; he couldn't do anything at all. "I end my turn."

"Don't look so glum, pal. That was just the first level. My turn then, draw! I activate the effect of Warrior of Atlantis from my hand." A faint image of the card appeared behind him. "By discarding it, I can add A Legendary Ocean from my Deck to my hand. Now, I'll activate it! Go, A Legendary Ocean!"

The same rumbling again. Matt observed the water rise to the same level as before. Looking towards the sea on his right, however, Matt saw that the water had become much clearer. Through it, he could see the seabed drop away in a sheer cliff, ending in a pit several metres down. In that pit was a dilapidated underwater city.

Mizutsu grinned wildly. "Welcome to the second level. I say we should kick off the festivities right away. I Normal Summon Codarus!" A small blue serpentine monster appeared, with six external gills and a finned tail.

Codarus: Sea Serpent-Type/WATER/Level 4/ATK 1400/DEF 1200

"And don't forget, my Field Spell drops the Level and raises the ATK and DEF of all my WATER monsters."

Codarus: Level 4 → 3/ATK 1400 → 1600/DEF 1200 → 1400

"Next I activate my other Trap Card, Forgotten Temple of the Deep." The Trap Card flipped up and flashed, to signify activation. "And now I'll use the effect of Codarus! By sending Umi from my field to the Graveyard, I can destroy up to two cards you control." He grinned again. "And since both Legendary Ocean and Forgotten Temple count as Umi, I can use either of them... I send Forgotten Temple to the Graveyard to destroy your **Paladin of Eoseuleum** **–** **Kishi**!" The Trap Card dissipated, and the particles of light flew into Codarus' mouth. The serpent glared at Matt's monster, then unleashed a mighty pulse of water. Kishi didn't stand a chance; it was simply washed away.

"GAH!" Matt cried at the shockwaves hit him. Once they subsided, he looked up briefly. "No..."

"That's right pal!" Mizutsu said, starting to laugh. It was a very unsettling sound. "Codarus, direct attack!" The monster let loose another pulse of water. This one sent Matt flying backwards. He landed heavily, wincing and struggling to get up.

**Matt LP:** 4000 → 2400

Mizustu laughed again, watching Matt laying in the water with a twisted glee. "C'mon pal, up you get. Ya can't be finished already. Things're just starting to get interesting..."

* * *

Author-made cards:

Paladin of Eoseuleum - Kishi  
Warrior-Type/DARK/Level 4/ATK 1900/DEF 1000  
If this card attacks, your opponent cannot activate any Spell Cards until the end of the Damage Step. When this card destroys a monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard: You can add 1 "Candlelight" card from your Deck to your hand.

* * *

**Fun Fact #15: Mizutsu's name is a vaguely clever combination of the words _mizu_ and _ansatsu_, meaning 'water' and 'assassin' respectively**

**Fun Fact #16: Yes, Mizutsu's Deck is in fact a Umi-based Deck, why do you ask?**

**Fun Fact #17: Remember those Arcane Caves. They'll be relevant later. Maybe.  
**


	6. Chapter 6

**Mizutsu LP:** 4000

Codarus: Sea Serpent-Type/WATER/Level 3/ATK 1600/DEF 1400

Spell & Trap Card Zone: A Legendary Ocean [Field Card]

**Matt LP:** 2400

At the sound of his opponent's mocking voice, Matt forced himself to his feet, his duelist instincts kicking in. He was Matt. He was undefeated. He was not going to let some random guy push him around.

Ever since he'd arrived in the city, he'd been winning duels left, right and centre. Even when he'd briefly been possessed by Number 51, it had changed nothing. He had been unbeatable. In fact, that had proven to be more of a curse than a gift, and for the longest while he'd actually been looking for the person that could defeat him.

Now things were different because he was different. He wasn't looking for that person because he wanted people to stop seeing him as an idol. That was over. Instead he was looking for someone who could truly match his skill level – who could give him a duel to remember.

'_Leah…' _he thought, hesitantly. In that last duel, she had come the closest anyone had ever come to defeating him in recent years. Perhaps she - or even any one of the Deltas – might be the one to defeat him... to match him... to become his equal...

But it wasn't this guy. Of that he was certain.

"Ah, good to see'ya back on ya feet again, pal." Mizutsu grinned. "I Set one card and end my turn."

Matt just glared at him. His doubt wasn't completely gone, but it was greatly diminished. "Keep talking, buddy," Matt retorted. "You won't beat me."

"I'm thinking that you ain't in any position to be threat'ning me, kid!" Mizutsu shouted. "Just go!"

*MEANWHILE*

Dan had finally stumbled out of the caves. "Jeez," he said to himself, clambering over rocks to get back to the beach. "Where's a Tour Guide when you really need one?" His feet touched sand, and he breathed a sigh of relief, glad to feel it again.

It was only then that he became aware of a disturbance some ways down the beach. He looked more closely, squinting through the light from the sunset, trying to discern what it could be.

It was green...

It was fuzzy and flickery...

An augmented reality field!

Immediately, Dan set off running towards the source, his exhaustion forgotten, sand flying in all directions. The duel itself was a long way away, but the augmented reality field covered a large area. The moment he was close enough, he tuned his D-Gazer into the duel and brought up the current status. What he saw confirmed his fears.

**Mizutsu LP:** 4000

**Matt LP:** 2400

It was happening. One of them had found the Number holder, and engaged them in a duel. And was losing.

Without stopping, Dan cycled through options on his D-Gazer to set up a call with Katie, James and Leah. They were quick to answer, and all wanted to know what was wrong.

"Dan, have you found it?"

"Are you dueling? Where are you now?"

"Did you find the-"

"Listen." Dan said, still running, the duel looming closer every second. "I can't waste time. Matt's found the Number holder and has already engaged him. They're currently in turn three."

There was a clamour of voices from the other end of the line, but James' voice overrode them. "He what? Why didn't he contact us?"

"I'm not sure," Dan replied, now aware of simulated water splashing around his legs. "I'll ask him when I get there. In the meantime, follow my tracker and get here as soon as you can, ok?"

He suspected that they all wanted to know more, but after a brief pause, they all answered the affirmative and hung up. Dan flicked his D-Gazer back into duel observation mode. Nothing had changed, but the turn count had ticked over to four. He was starting to feel uneasy...

*BACK AT THE DUEL*

"My turn, draw!" Matt was starting to get back into his flow. "I Summon **Knight of Eoseuleum – Na Ito**!" Kishi's twin appeared on the field. It had an inverse colour scheme, and the Eoseuleum's crest was on its right shoulder.

**Knight of Eoseuleum – Na Ito: Warrior-Type/DARK/Level 4/ATK 1900/DEF 1000**

"Battle! Knight of Eoseuleum, attack Codarus!" The Knight splashed its way forward and swung its sword, just as its twin had done in the last turn. And with the same result. Codarus was cleaved in half, and let out a desperate roar before exploding.

"GWAAAAHH!" This time, Mizutsu was the one thrown back.

**Mizutsu LP:** 4000 → 3700

Matt grinned. Their roles had been reversed rather quickly. "I activate Na Ito's effect. When he destroys a monster by battle, I can add any card with Eoseuleum in its name from my Deck to my hand. I choose **Hero of Eoseuleum – Eiyu**. Then I'll Set one card and end my turn."

By this point, Mizutsu had just about made it to his feet again, the number symbol shining brighter than ever. "You... ya'll will pay for that!" But before he could make true on his threat, they both became aware of someone running towards them. Both duelists turned to see Dan hurrying across the sand towards them. "Who's this one then? Friend of yours?"

Dan stopped a few meters clear of the duel, panting from all the exertion. "What... Matt, what's going on? Why're you dueling already? Why haven't you contacted us?"

Matt didn't know what to say. Instead, he said nothing, and turned his attention back to his opponent.

"Reinforcements, huh... well they won't help ya here! This here duel is just you an' me! It's my turn, draw!" Mizutsu cackled with delight. "I activate the Spell Card, Surface. It lets me revive any Level three or lower Fish-Type, Sea Serpent-Type, or Aqua-type monster from my Graveyard. So welcome back, Drill Barnacle!" The oversized crustacean, the first monster that Matt had destroyed, reappeared on the field.

Drill Barnacle: Aqua-Type/WATER/Level 3/ATK 300/DEF 0

Drill Barnacle: Level 3 → 2/ATK 300 → 500/DEF 0 → 200

"Then I'll be Tributing my Drill Barnacle, to Tribute Summon my ultimate denizen of the deep!" Drill Barnacle dissipated on the spot. Matt looked around warily, waiting for the monster to appear. The wind had picked up. The surface of the water was starting to get choppy. Matt felt something huge shift below the water's surface.

"Appear! Levia-Dragon – Daedalus!" Without warning, there was a huge eruption of water behind Mizutsu, and the colossal leviathan rose out of the water, to settle behind its Summoner.

Levia-Dragon – Daedalus: Sea Serpent-Type/WATER/Level 6/ATK 2600/DEF 1500

Levia-Dragon – Daedalus: ATK 2600 → 2800/DEF 1500 → 1700

"Y'see, since A Legendary Ocean downgrades all WATER monsters on the field and in our hands by one, Levia-Dragon was a Level six monster while in my hand, so it only needed a single Tribute to Tribute Summon."

"I'm aware," Matt retorted. "Just go."

"Oh my, mind ya temper there, pal." Mizutsu laughed. "Anyway, Levia-Dragon's effect activates. By sending Umi from my field to the Graveyard, every other card on the field is destroyed!"

Matt gasped as the waters began to recede once again, and Levia-Dragon let out a roar of pre-emptive triumph. _'If I let that effect go through then I'm finished,' _he thought. "I activate the Trap Card, Fiendish Chain! I target any monster on the field, then that target can't attack or apply its effects."

Chains shot from small portals that had opened up around Levia-Dragon, ensnaring it. The serpent roared and thrashed about violently, but couldn't escape the chains.

"Why you..." Mizutsu growled.

"And to make things better," Matt continued, "sending Umi to the Graveyard is a cost. That means you have to pay it, regardless of whether Levia-Dragon's effect was able to resolve or not." Sure enough, the water continued to drain away, and very soon the field was back to normal once again.

Levia-Dragon – Daedalus: Level 6 → 7/ATK 2800 → 2600/DEF 1700 → 1500

"Don'cha be getting cocky, pal," Mizutsu snarled at him. "That was a lucky move is all. The real fun's just starting. I activate the Field Spell, Lemuira, the Forgotten City!"

"Not another one..." Matt muttered, as the water level rose again. The waves washed over Dan, who was still standing helplessly at the edge of the field. This time, the dilapidated city had taken on a slightly different appearance, and was now visible on a strip of land just above the water's surface.

"That's right. Welcome to the third level." Mizutsu exclaimed gleefully. "So let's dive right in. Like my other Field Spells, this one grants all WATER monsters on the field 200 extra ATK and DEF points."

Levia-Dragon – Daedalus: ATK 2600 → 2800/DEF 1500 → 1700

Matt grinned. "Actually, if I'm honest, that's exactly what I was hoping to see."

"Ya what?" Mizutsu said, confused.

"I activate the effect of **Hero of Eoseuleum - Eiyu** in my hand." He showed the card to Mizutsu, and a faint image of it appeared behind him. "When my opponent activates a Spell Card, I can Tribute one DARK monster I control to Special Summon this card from my hand. I Tribute **Knight of Eoseuleum – Na Ito**!" The Knight distorted and disappeared, only to be replaced by a new monster. This one wore much less armour, but still sported the same black-and-white patterns around its body. It carried a hand-and-a-half sword, and was far more muscular than Na Ito. It bore the Eoseuleum insignia on its helmet.

**Hero of Eoseuleum – Eiyu: Warrior-Type/DARK/Level 6/ATK 2400/DEF 1600**

"Who cares?" Mizutsu spat. "That thing's still weak! I end my turn."

Matt went to draw, but was interrupted by shouts from nearby. Dan and both duelists turned to observe the newcomers: the three remaining Deltas. All were out of breath, but still seemed determined to give Matt a hard time.

"Matt!" James shouted. "What the hell are you doing? Why didn't you contact us before you started this duel?"

"We're supposed to be a team, Matt." Katie added, standing next to her boyfriend for support. "Stop acting like a lone wolf."

Once again, Matt ignored them. He didn't have any clue what to say to them, mostly because he wasn't entirely sure why he hadn't called them. They were right. He was being selfish. But he was also being strong. "It's my turn, draw!"

"Matt..." James groaned in frustration, but he wasn't even listening anymore.

_'Hmm…" _Matt considered his move. _'Mizutsu's right, I can't destroy Levia-Dragon. But as long as Fiendish Chain is still binding it, it can't do anything to me either.' _"I'll just Set two cards and end my turn." Matt's two face-down's appeared.

"My turn, draw! I activate the Spell Card, Big Wave Small Wave!" As Mizutsu's card materialised, the water beneath Levia-Dragon turned a dark orange colour. "With this card, I destroy all WATER monsters I control, then replace them with an equal number of WATER monsters from my hand."

A torrent of water leapt up, completely submerging Levia-Dragon. Fiendish Chain disappeared. When the raging orange water subsided, there was a new monster in Levia-Dragon's place: it was a mermaid, but it was carrying a vicious-looking sword and shield.

Mermaid Knight: Aqua-Type/WATER/Level 4/ATK 1500/DEF 700

Mermaid Knight: ATK 1500 → 1700/DEF 700 → 900

"Eh? Mermaid Knight?" said Dan, scratching his head in confusion. "Why would he trade in Levia-Dragon for that?"

Mizutsu cast Dan a piercing glare. Dan shivered: there was real bloodlust in those eyes. "Oh, all of ya'll will find out real soon. Next, I Normal Summon **Tetraform Mollusc**!" This was a curious little creature. It was a spherical shell with four spikes poking out from around the side. A single eye was visible at the front, peeping through a gap in its shell.

**Tetraform Mollusc: Aqua-Type/WATER/Level 4/ATK 1100/DEF 1900**

**Tetraform Mollusc: ATK 1100 **→** 1300/DEF 1900 **→** 2100**

Mizutsu began to laugh. "Yes... it's happening... it's really happening! I activate the effect of Lemuria, the Forgotten City! Once per turn, I can increase the Level of all WATER monsters I control by the number of WATER monsters I control. Since I control two, both my monsters gain two Levels.

Mermaid Knight: Level 4 → 6

**Tetraform Mollusc: Level 4 **→** 6**

Matt was just as perplexed as everyone else. This strategy didn't seem to be getting Mizutsu anywhere. But Mizutsu was very confident... for some reason...

Then it hit him. "No!" he cried.

His opponent grinned maniacally. "Too late, pal. Level six Mermaid Knight and **Tetraform Mollusc**, Overlay!" Both monsters turned fully blue and shot upwards. Below them, the waters began to spin. Slowly at first, but getting faster all the time, until the water level dipped and a fully formed whirlpool was visible, spinning at a ridiculous speed. The sides of the whirlpool were faintly outlined with the edges of a galaxy-style portal. "I use these two monsters to construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon!" Both monsters flew into the whirlpool and were immediately lost, spinning into its depths. "Rise up, the depths of my soul! **Number 36: Mermonstrosity**!" The glowing number 36 on Mizutsu's cheek flashed in response.

Then the whirlpool exploded. There was no warning; the centre of the underwater tornado simply erupted upwards, showering everyone with water. And out of the whirlpool rose... something. It was a giant mess of armour, slime and scales, loosely held together with clumps of seaweed. Slowly, the seaweed started to dissolve, and the monster sealed within the monstrous mass began to shift and push against its restraints. As more of the seaweed disappeared, more of the monster began to become visible: a frilled tail, and armoured midriff, a green muscular torso... with a cry, the monster freed itself and shook its head. It was some kind of hideous merfolk. It wore a helmet, but that nothing to hide its inhuman and frankly horrific face. It wore a metal collar, with three broken chains dangling from it. Finally, in addition to its two muscular arms, there were also two tentacles stretching out of its shoulders, each ending in a strange orange claw. Two blue Overlay Units circled it.

**Number 36: Mermonstrosity: Beast-Warrior-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 6/ATK 3000/DEF 2200 – 2 OLU**

* * *

Author-made cards:

Knight of Eoseuleum - Na Ito  
Warrior-Type/DARK/Level 4/ATK 1900/DEF 1000  
If this card attacks, your opponent cannot activate any Spell Cards until the end of the Damage Step. When this card destroys a monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard: You can add 1 "Eoseuleum" card from your Deck to your hand.

Hero of Eoseuleum - Eiyu  
Warrior-Type/DARK/Level 6/ATK 2400/DEF 1600  
When a player activates a Spell Card: You can Tribute 1 DARK monster you control; Special Summon this card from your hand. This card is unaffected by Spell effects.

* * *

**Fun Fact #18: Mizutsu isn't a recurring character. He's just another Number holder. Don't get too attached to him. Unless you want to, which we will totally understand. I mean seriously, his hair is the best.**

**Fun Fact #19: No, we're not putting the descriptions for Tetraform Mollusc or Number 36: Mermonstrosity in this chapter. We're putting them in the next chapter. We wouldn't want to spoil the suprise, would we?**

**Fun Fact #20: Apparently, Microsoft Word 2010 registers mythological Greek names, like Daedalus, as actual words. Well, that's good to know.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Mizutsu LP:** 3700

**Number 36: Mermonstrosity: Beast-Warrior-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 6/ATK 3000/DEF 2200 – 2 OLU**

**Number 36: Mermonstrosity: ATK 3000 **→** 3200/DEF 2200 **→** 2400**

Spell & Trap Card Zone: Lemuria, the Forgotten City [Field Card]

**Matt LP:** 2400

**Hero of Eoseuleum – Eiyu: Warrior-Type/DARK/Level 6/ATK 2400/DEF 1600**

Spell & Trap Card Zone: 1 set card

Mizutsu couldn't stop laughing. "Yes! Yes! I've done it! My Number is here!" He paused briefly to glare at Matt. "Of course, that means ya'll gonna disappear, pal!" That sent him into another bout of cackling.

Matt was having a very different reaction to the Number. Fear... pure... unbridled... This thing was about as different from Number 17 as physically possible. While both Numbers had possessed the same eerie presence, Passion Aurora had at least been somewhat restrained, and he had been facing a cautious and considerate opponent.

This was very different. Both this Number and its owner were wild, untamed, and completely free. There was absolutely nothing stopping it from going on a rampage and quite possibly killing everyone nearby. Indeed, what he could see of its face was staring at him with pure malice. To make matters worse, he was certain that Mizutsu would not hesitate to order it to destroy everything. The holder was just as bloodthirsty as the Number.

The spectators were just as worried. "Damnit!" said Dan. "I'd hoped that he wouldn't Summon that thing before Matt beat him."

"Bit of a pipe dream, there," Leah replied, looking at him. "Remember what happened to us?"

"Yeah..." said Dan, now even more nervous. "What happened to us is exactly what I'm scared of..." Leah gasped, understanding his meaning.

"Don't even think I'm done, old pal," Mizutsu growled. "From my hand, I activate the Spell Card, **Overlay Force**! So by detaching one Overlay Unit from Mermonstrosity, it gains 1000 ATK until the End Phase!" The Mermaid Knight Overlay Unit spiralled into the Spell Card being held up my Mizutsu, which in turn enveloped the Number in a crimson aura.

**Number 36: Mermonstrosity: 2 **→** 1 OLU**

**Number 36: Mermonstrosity: ATK 3200 **→** 4200**

"GAHAHAHA! Battle!" Mizutsu cried. "Mermonstrosity, annihilate his Hero of Eoseuleum!" The hideous merman let out a deafening roar, which sent ripples across the water. It's strange orange claws opened impossibly wide.

Matt responded the only way he could. "I activate the Trap Card, Mirror Force!" The Trap Card flipped up, and let off a piercing array of light. _'Numbers can only be destroyed in battle by other Numbers, but they're still vulnerable to card effects,' _Matt thought desperately. _'I need to get it off the field quickly before it really hurts someone!'_

Mizutsu was laughing again. "Ya naïve fool!" He shouted. "Did ya even bother to check on my cards? While **Tetraform Mollusc** is attached to a WATER monster as an Overlay Unit, that monster is unaffected by any Trap Cards that don't specifically target it!" The rays from Mirror Force enveloped the Number, but parted to reveal it still alive and very angry. "Now where was I... ah yes! Mermonstrosity, do ya thing!" Its shoulder-tentacles shot out quickly, the orange claws latching onto Eiyu's arms. The warrior cried out in pain, pulling at the claws even as it was dragged towards the Number. Matt was just as helpless as his monster. He couldn't do a thing. Eiyu was pulled even closer to the Number; so close that they were almost touching. Mermonstrosity took one last look at the warrior – unrestrained malice practically dripping from its eyes – then whipped its tail round with blinding speed. Eiyu took the full force of the hit. It gave one final desperate cry of agony, before exploding violently.

Matt didn't even have time to scream. The shockwaves slammed into him, throwing him several feet backwards. He landed with a loud splash, dazed and injured.

And at that exact moment, he saw things very differently...

**Matt LP:** 2400 → 600

Things were just as bad for Matt's spectators. The shockwaves had been massive, and had swept James, Katie, Leah, and Dan off their feet. They were winded, but were still struggling to stand up, clinging to each other for support.

Mizutsu was observing the destructive scene he'd created with perverse joy. He couldn't contain himself. "HAHAHA... MUAHAHAHA... it's incredible! The Numbers... their power... it's unbelievable! And it's mine! It's all mine!" Briefly, he calmed himself. "I'll be ending my turn there."

**Number 36: Mermonstrosity: ATK 4200 **→** 3200**

He looked at his downed opponent with mock sympathy. "Ah, what's wrong there, champ? Y'all done already? C'mon pal, you're a fellow Number holder, ya should know how powerful they can be. C'mon now, up you get. Show me that power. Show me my prize! Or are ya just... too... scared?"

Slowly, gingerly, Matt raised his head. Looking at Mizutsu, he wasn't seeing a deranged Number holder. He wasn't even seeing a polite and cheerful guy he'd met earlier.

He was seeing himself.

He thought back to when he had dueled Hideo. In that duel, Matt had behaved exactly the same as Mizutsu was now. And now he was reacting in the same way that Hideo had done – with fear and pain. The tables had been turned quite dramatically. Matt let his head fall back, too exhausted and hurt to keep it up. Despite that, he was smiling, resigned to his end. _'Fate sure has a cruel sense of humour…' _he thought with amusement.

Mizutsu lowered his duel disk in disappointment. "Awe, ya disappoint me buddy. I was expecting at least a little more outa ya. But if ya done already…"

"He's not!" Mizutsu turned to the others. It was Leah who had shouted at him. "And he won't be anytime soon! So shut up and be patient!"

The hideous Number bristled with outrage, and the symbol on Mizutsu's cheek flared in response. "What did ya just say, brat? Ya feeling real brave all of a sudden!"

"Brave enough to wipe the floor with someone like you!" Leah retorted. In reality, she was not feeling brave in the slightest. Her fists were clenched tightly to stop her hands from trembling. Even though she had her own Number, the sight of this Number holder still unnerved her. But it was ok. She had no intention of actually dueling him. It was all part of the plan.

"Come on, Matt!"

"Hey Matt, get up! Quickly!"

While Leah kept the deranged Number holder distracted, the other three had taken it upon themselves to make Matt get up, which mainly involved shouting.

Matt listened to them shouting at him, and felt his perspective shift once again. He had once been that person – the insane duelist completely possessed by one of his own cards. But he wasn't anymore. He had changed. But neither was he a helpless victim like Hideo had been, hurt and alone.

Things were different because he was different. He wasn't going end up another victim. He wasn't alone in this duel. He wasn't being continually pestered by that accursed crowd. He had real friends, who were sticking by him despite what an incredible jerk he'd been, and despite all the danger. And even through all that, they still didn't want him to lose or get hurt.

"I... have friends..." he muttered.

It felt amazing to say.

Then he stood up. His strength had long since left him, so it was only sheer willpower that allowed him to do so. Mizutsu glanced at him, cruel amusement in his eyes. _'My friends…' _Matt thought, still struggling to believe it himself. _'I won't let you down!'_

"My turn, draw!" He had plenty of injuries, but at that moment he wasn't registering any of them. He was completely zoned in, acting solely on instinct. "I activate the effect of **Blader of Eoseuleum – Tsubasa** in my hand. If all the monsters currently in play are on your field, I can banish one Spell Card from your Graveyard to Special Summon this card from my hand." A Legendary Ocean flew out of Mizutsu's Graveyard, and dissipated. "Appear, **Blader of Eoseuleum – Tsubasa**!" The monster appeared once again, wearing basic black armour, and sported the Eoseuleum crest on the side of its neck.

**Blader of Eoseuleum – Tsubasa: Warrior-Type/DARK/Level 6/ATK 2000/DEF 1800**

"Next you'll use the Spell Card, **Candlelight Aura**!" The card he held up flashed white and vanished, only to reappear in Mizutsu's duel disk. He looked at it in confusion. "This card is activated as your card, and once activated, you have to target one Eoseuleum monster on the field and destroy it."

"Well I don't have much of a selection, now do I?" Mizutsu snarled. "Whatever. I target Tsubasa."

Matt grinned. "And as luck would have it, Tsubasa is unaffected by Spell Cards." Once again, the Spell Card shot a superheated wave of energy at Matt's monster, and once again, Matt's monster was unharmed. Matt immediately dove into his next move. "And while I'm at it, I think I'll Special Summon this card as well. Appear, **Assassin of Eoseuleum – Shikaku**!" This monster had a streamlined black armour, and six pitch black daggers each with the Eoseuleum crest.

**Assassin of Eoseuleum – Shikaku: Warrior-Type/DARK/Level 6/ATK 1000/DEF 1000**

"This card can be Special Summoned from my hand if my opponent activated a Spell Card during this turn. Also, when it's Summoned in this way, I can destroy any one monster you control. I target Number 36: Mermonstrosity!" Shikaku leapt into the air and flung all six of its daggers at the Number.

"Good luck with that, kiddo!" Mizutsu shouted. "My Number is completely immune to monster effects!" All six daggers rebounded from the Number's torso as though it were made of stone. The Number itself didn't even flinch.

"That's harsh..." Katie muttered. "Unaffected by monster effects and Trap Cards, and can't be destroyed by battle unless it's by another Number. That means its main weakness is Spell Cards, and Eoseuleum Decks don't use a lot of those..." The others nodded, but said nothing, waiting to see what Matt would do next.

Matt closed his eyes, trying with all his might not to think about what he was about to do. "Level six Assassin and Blader of Eoseuleum... Overlay!" The two monsters didn't need to be told twice. With a battle cry, both changed into purple amorphous masses and shot upwards. Where they had been, a whirlpool began to form, on Matt's field this time, edged with the same galaxy-style portal. It span faster and faster, pulling water into it at a fantastic rate. Mizutsu staggered, struggling to stay upright. Both Xyz Material Monsters spiralled into the portal, and were immediately whipped out of sight. "I… I use these two monsters to construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon!" The raging waters erupted upwards. "Rise up! **Number 51: Dark Excalibur**!"

A dull black sphere of metal rose out of the residue - spinning the water away - with wicked-looking spikes sticking out of the sides. Streaks of red shot across the sphere, etching intricate patterns, and the sphere began to separate along them. Slowly, the sphere changed its shape - separating, reconnecting, and slowly changing - into the likeness of a warrior in pitch black armour. It wore no helmet, and was outlined with a red glow, which only made it look darker. The fearsome spikes were now attached to its shoulders. The creature stretched out its arms, its blood-red cape billowing out behind it, then reached behind it and drew its sword with a shout. The sword was split at the handle, so it appeared as two blades running up from the hilt. The blade itself was covered with runes, and the red number 51 was visible on the front of the monster's right shoulder. Its two purple Overlay Units circled it.

**Number 51: Dark Excalibur: Warrior-Type/Xyz/DARK/Rank 6/ATK 2800/DEF 2000 – 2 OLU**

Matt flinched as the dark red fifty-one etched itself onto the back of his hand, and braced himself for the invasive consciousness invading his soul. It didn't come. He breathed a sigh of relief, and distractedly rubbed his right wrist, where the metal band was still firmly attached. _'It's safe…' _he thought. _'It's really safe… haha, how silly. All that worrying for nothing.' _He smiled; his first true smile in a long time.

Mizutsu was looking a lot less sure of himself now. "That thing... it's the Number I was looking for. I won't let it escape..."

He babbled on, but no-one was really listening. Dan, in particular, was observing the interaction between the two enemy Numbers with great interest. Mermonstrosity was shifting restlessly, cracking its knuckles, snarling, itching to rush forward and demolish the enemy. Dark Excalibur, on the other hand, was simply standing there, looking at the enemy Number with a dispassionate, vacant scowl.

Or so it appeared. Matt could feel exactly what the Number was really feeling. Its rage was titanic, colossal, and very frightening. But it was exactly as Leah said: it was like looking down a tunnel. A small flicker of emotion on the edge of Matt's consciousness – that's all it was. Briefly, Matt wondered how such a small strip of metal could hold back such rage and power like that. To him, it was like using an A4 sheet of paper to hold back a tsunami.

Having not listened to a word Mizutsu had been saying, Matt cut him off mid-sentence. "Go, Dark Excalibur! Attack Mermonstrosity!" Number 51 raised its sword high and uttered a battle-cry. The force of its shout sent ripples across the water.

"Ya what?" Mizutsu shouted. "What're ya doing? My Number's a lot stronger that yours!" Mermonstrosity roared in agreement.

Matt took a deep breath. "I activate the Trap Card, Rising Energy!" The Trap Card flipped up. "By discarding one card, one of my monsters gains 1500 ATK until the End Phase." He discarded Dark Blade.

**Number 51: Dark Excalibur: ATK 2800 **→** 4300**

"Ya kiddin' me!" Mizutsu cried, a hint of fear creeping into his voice.

"No." Matt said flatly. "Dark Excalibur, destroy Mermonstrosity! Crimson slash!" Number 51 shouldered its sword and ran across the surface of the water towards 36. The merman swung its tail around to meet it. The warrior ducked under the tail, then brought its sword upwards in an uppercut, which sliced diagonally across 36's chest. The agonised Number cried out in pain. Drawing back, Number 51 steadied its blade, then lashed out one more time, stabbing the beast straight through its chest. The impaled monster thrashed about briefly, then exploded throwing up sand, water and smoke. Mizutsu staggered back, but managed to stay upright, the glowing number on his cheek flickering erratically.

**Mizutsu LP:** 3700 → 2600

_'Almost there,' _Matt thought desperately, reaching underneath Dark Excalibur's card. "Number 51's effect activates. When it destroys a monster by battle, I can detach one of its Overlay Units to let it attack again immediately." The smoke cleared, and revealed that Dark Excalibur was still standing exactly where it was, still towering over Mizutsu. Matt pulled one of the cards out from under his Number. The corresponding Overlay Unit spiralled out of orbit and into Dark Excalibur's sword, which lit up along its entire length.

**Number 51: Dark Excalibur: 2 **→** 1 OLU**

"No! Wait!" Mizutsu begged.

Matt gritted his teeth and ignored him. "Direct attack! Crimson slash!"

Up. Down. One swift motion. An explosion of water and sand, and a horrible scream. And then it was over.

**Mizutsu LP:** 2600 → 0

**Matt LP:** 600 [WINNER]

Matt half expected Dark Excalibur to remain on the field after the final buzzer. But it obediently disappeared along with the waters of Lemuria, and the augmented reality faded away.

Matt went to remove his D-Gazer, but was startled by something tugging at his wrist. He looked down. It was the metal band, glowing pure white and pulling at his arm. _"They also have the ability to pull a Number out of a defeated opponent." _Remembering the Professor's words, he allowed his arm to be guided upwards by the band. White tentacle-like things extended from the band, vibrant against the setting sun, and entered the downed body of his opponent – most of them into his chest, a few into the side of his face. Mizutsu stirred weakly and moaned, his face clenched. Matt wondered what was happening.

Finally, Matt felt another slight tug, and the tentacle things retracted from inside Mizutsu's chest, carrying with them a card. The few that had entered his face also retracted, carrying with them a small glowing sphere with the Number 36 on it, which quickly dissipated. The strange structures deposited the card in Matt's hand, and returned to the band. Matt examined the card – **Number 36: Mermonstrosity**... so it was true...

Quite suddenly, he keeled over. He couldn't help it, he was just so exhausted. His head hit the sand with a dull thump.

The last thing he was aware of was shouting voices, running feet, and the blue glow of Mermonstrosity's number etching itself onto his left hand, before he fell into the welcome abyss of sleep...

* * *

Author-made cards:

Hero of Eoseuleum - Eiyu  
Warrior-Type/DARK/Level 6/ATK 2400/DEF 1600  
When a player activates a Spell Card: You can Tribute 1 DARK monster you control; Special Summon this card from your hand. This card is unaffected by Spell effects.

Tetraform Mollusc  
Aqua-Type/WATER/Level 4/ATK 1100/DEF 1900  
Cannot be Special Summoned. While this card is attached to a WATER Xyz Monster as an Overlay Unit, the attached monster is unaffected by Trap effects that don't target it.

Blader of Eoseuleum - Tsubasa  
Warrior-Type/DARK/Level 6/ATK 2000/DEF 1800  
If your opponent controls a monster and you don't: You can target 1 Spell Card in your opponent's Graveyard; banish that target, then Special Summon this card from your hand. This card is unaffected by Spell effects.

Assassin of Eoseuleum - Shikaku  
Warrior-Type/DARK/Level 6/ATK 1000/DEF 1000  
If your opponent activated a Spell Card previously during this turn, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand). When you do: Target 1 monster your opponent controls; destroy that target.

Number 36: Mermonstrosity  
Beast-Warrior-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 6/ATK 3000/DEF 2200  
2 Level 6 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. This card is unaffected by the effects of Effect Monsters.

Number 51: Dark Excalibur  
Warrior-Type/Xyz/DARK/Rank 6/ATK 2800/DEF 2000  
2 Level 6 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. This card is unaffected by Spell effects. If this card destroys a monster by battle: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; this card immediately attacks again. While this card has no Overlay Units attached to it, you cannot activate Spell Cards.

Overlay Force  
Spell Card  
Detach 1 Overlay Unit from a face-up Xyz Monster you control, then target that Xyz Monster; that target gains 1000 ATK until the End Phase.

* * *

**Fun Fact #21: We originally planned a slightly different ending to this duel, which involved Matt destroying Lemuria the Forgotten City with a _Very Special Trap Card_. Nevertheless, this ending is significantly awesome, so that _Very Special Trap Card_ will be revealed at a later date.**

**Fun Fact #22: A WATER Deck without Frogs or Mermails? I know, crazy isn't it?**


	8. Chapter 8

Matt awoke from a dream that he immediately forgot.

Reluctantly, he allowed his senses to uncurl and examine his surroundings. He felt sand, and ran it through his fingers. He could hear gulls... and the ocean... why? With a jolt, he remembered how he'd got there. His eyes snapped open and he quickly pushed himself upright... straight into the face of another person.

"JEEEEEZ, man!" Mizutsu gasped, recoiling with his hands over his face. "Give me a bit've warning before ya do that. Y'almost took my eye out!"

Matt cried out in pain and collapsed back, clutching his nose. Vaguely, he was aware of people laughing. Turning his head sideways, he identified the source as the rest of the Deltas, all cracking up at the pair of them. "It's not funny!" He shouted at them, his voice all nasally. That just made them laugh even harder. Matt couldn't help but laugh along, despite the pain.

Leah was the first one to regain some self-control and was now attempting to be serious. She turned to Mizutsu and crossed her arms sternly. "Right, Mr Mizutsu. Getting straight down to business, I think you owe someone here an apology."

Mizutsu nodded and kneeled down. Matt pulled himself up into a sitting position, so they were now level. Mizutsu paused, trying to figure out what to say. "I... I'm real sorry pal. I wasn't myself in that duel." He bowed his head in shame. "I said and did some horrible things that I didn't mean. Truly, I'm sorry."

Matt reached out and patted him on the shoulder. "It's ok." Mizutsu looked up, surprised. "It's like you said: you weren't yourself. I know you wouldn't do anything like that for real. You're a nice guy."

"Ya mean it? Thanks, buddy! I can't thank ya enough!" He wiped his eyes and stood up. "Although, I sure do wish I knew what actually happened to me during that duel... ah well, guess I'll never know."

Matt looked at him with confusion. He started to say something, but in the corner of his eye he saw Dan shake his head, and Leah put a finger to her lips. He shut his mouth, still confused.

"Right," said Leah, her arms folded again. "That takes care of one apology." She turned to Matt. "Now it's your turn."

"Me?" Matt said. Leah nodded. Matt looked into the faces of each of his friends and realised that she was right. He'd been acting like a selfish, stubborn jerk all day, and they hadn't deserved it. "I'm... I'm sorry." He said. And he meant it. "Ever since this band cured me, I've been struggling with the things I did while I was possessed. I hurt many people, and caused a lot of suffering." He saw many eyes widen, and it occurred to him that the Professor must not have told them what he did. Still, they kept quiet, which he appreciated. He bowed his head and went on. "I was really scared. Scared of your Numbers, scared of my own Number, scared of the band not working, scared of my duty... I wanted to avoid my problems however I could. You guys were nothing but supportive, yet I was still a stubborn jerk and you didn't deserve that. I'm sorry. I really am."

Nobody said anything. The only sounds were from the birds and the water. Matt sat there with his head bowed in shame, praying for one of them to say something. Soft footsteps drew his attention. He tentatively raised his head, and saw Dan now standing beside Leah. Their faces gave nothing away. Mizutsu was looking apprehensive, unsure whether they were going to forgive him, shout at him, or even attack him.

Then Dan smiled, and reached out a hand. It was two simple movements, nothing more than that, but the effect it had on Matt was profound. Filled with happiness, Matt took Dan's hand and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet. Dan gave him a rough pat on the back, and said "Welcome back."

Leah, also beaming, gave Matt a brief hug, then stepped aside for Kaite, who likewise embraced him. When they broke apart, Katie kept her hands on Matt's shoulders and looked him straight in the face. "We were worried about you," she said, and the other two nodded. "We're so glad you're ok."

Matt was too choked up to reply. To know that they cared for him so much, that they didn't hate him, that they really had been worried about him... it was almost too much.

Then he looked at James. James had approached while the others had been smiling and laughing, but neither of those two things were visible on James' face. His expression was passive, unreadable. Matt eyed him apprehensively.

"You're right," James said, choosing his words carefully, his voice giving nothing away. "You were stubborn, you were a jerk, and you were generally unlikable from the moment we met you." Those words stung, but James wasn't finished yet. "But... I know that we'll never get anywhere as a team if we don't act like a team, and I also know that it was the Number making you do those things – it wasn't necessarily who you are. So, for all that... yeah, I forgive you."

It wasn't the heart-warming speech that Matt had hoped for, but he appreciated it all the same. He smiled and nodded. James nodded back.

"Well then, I guess there's no reason for me to stick around any longer then, is there?" Mizutsu said, seemingly quite happy with this turn of events. "I'll be off then. Be seein' ya!"

"Later," said Matt, and the others all waved, as Mizutsu took his leave, walking up the beach and into the promenade.

Now it was just the five of them. Matt, resisting the urge to start hugging everyone in sight, instead asked a question. "So why didn't we tell him about the Number? Doesn't he have a right to know what happened?"

"We discussed this while you were both unconscious." Dan replied. "We decided that it would be best if Mizutsu didn't know what caused him to act that way. Ideally, the Numbers' power over people should remain a secret unless absolutely necessary. That way, we can avoid widespread panic over the cards."

Matt considered this for a moment. "Out of curiosity..." he said, the idea still forming in his brain. "...why is this widespread panic a bad thing? The moment people see a Number, they'll be crazy, it'll be all over the news, and that'll make the Number holder a lot easier to find."

"That is a good point," said Katie, taking over from Dan. "Unfortunately, once word of the Numbers' power spreads, people will start wanting the Numbers. Some people will even resort to stealing the Numbers before we get to them, which means we'd have to start the hunt all over again."

"Ok then." Matt said, reassured. "So the Numbers remain our secret."

"Definitely," said Leah. Then she yawned, tired from the exertions of the day.

Dan laughed. "I think we should get going. It looks like the baby needs her beddy-byes." He immediately took off down the beach, with Leah chasing him and shouting at him.

"Who're you calling a baby? I'm gonna throw you into the sea! I'll fill your underwear with lobsters! I'll stick sea urchins in your ears and watch-"

"Totally worth it!" Dan cried as he dashed passed the others in a blaze of sand, Leah hot on his tail. The other three were cracking up laughing at the pair of them.

"Haha… well, I suppose it is getting late." Katie said, stretching. "Maybe we should go."

James grinned wickedly. "Aw, what's wrong? Is the other little baby getting all tuckered out? Coochie coochie coo..."

"Oh lord, don't you start," said Katie, rolling her eyes. Then she looked at Matt. "What's say you, Matt? Time to go home?"

Matt smiled, and nodded.

_'Home…'_

* * *

**Fun Fact #23: In future stories, Number 36: Mermonstrosity will be Matt's secondary Number, but he will seldom rely on any Number besides his own Number 51: Dark Excalibur.**

**Fun Fact #24: There was, in fact, quite a disagreement between us about whether to write 'gulls' or 'seagulls' in this chapter. Fortunately, I was able to prove that seagulls don't exist, so we went for that one.**

**Fun Fact #25: Hidden throughout some of the chapters in this story, you'll find some very very _very_ small pieces of foreshadowing to a certain event that will take place in a future story. If you can work out what that event is now, then we will personally give you a high twenty-five.**


End file.
